Unexpected
by Lady Kathryne
Summary: Georgia farm boy Sam Uley fell for his neighbor's best friend- the sheriff's daughter, Bella. He found her arguing with her- at the time- boyfriend Edward at a bonfire. He tries to ignore the things said to her, but he can't. He ends up comforting her and finds out there's more to her than what meets the eye.
1. Prologue

**Author:** Lady Kathryne

**Title:** Unexpected

**Pairing**: Sam/Bella

**Rating**: M

**Genre:** hurt/comfort, friendship

**Summary: **

Georgia farm boy Sam Uley fell for his neighbor's best friend- the sheriff's daughter, Bella. He finds her arguing with her boyfriend Edward at a bonfire. He tries to ignore the things said to her, but he can't. He ends up comforting her and finds out there's more to her than what meets the eye.

**Disclaimer**:

All characters and known situations belong to their respective owners. Everything else came from my own mind. In no way shape or form have I made or intended to make a profit from this story…. All rights still belong to Stephenie Meyer.

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Prologue

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Well I was raised up beneath the shade of a Georgia Pine  
And that's home you know  
Sweet tea, pecan pie, and homemade wine  
Where the peaches grow  
And my house it's not much to talk about  
But it's filled with love that's grown in southern ground

-Chicken Fried, Zac Brown Band

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"Come on Sam, time for lunch!"

Said man in question- 20 year old, Georgia born and raised, 6'5", 170 pound, muscled and fit Sam Uley- arched an eyebrow and raised his hand to block the sun from his vision. He'd been born and raised on 36 acres of pasture land dedicated to raising and selling premium stock, show worthy thoroughbred horses as well as select other western breeds used in the southeastern rodeos in Georgia, Alabama and Florida.

He knew little else in the way of life, growing up working on the ranch he and his family lived owned. When the time was right, the business classes he had been taking would help him take over management of the ranch. He'd be the third generation to own Haven Ranch and all the land surrounding it.

Sam looked up to see his two best friends, Jared Cameron and Paul Lahote racing towards him on their own horses- Camden and Cadence. The three were thick as thieves so his mother always claimed. They'd started living with Sam and his parents in middle school when Sam first learned about their less than adequate home lives.

Jared's father had lost his job and loved to do nothing more than drink beat his wife and Jared. He finally killed her while the boys were all in school, landing himself in a state penitentiary for the rest of his life. Paul's mother abused him while his father had been stationed overseas in the army. He'd taken a bullet to the chest for a friend in combat and Paul had gotten his dad's purple heart and the folded flag from his dad's casket.

They called Allison Uley their mother now- no one would tell them different. She'd gone through hell with the courts and child protective services. Once they'd learned about the abuse, it had been a relatively short wait and she'd finally taken them into her home. Sam's dad Josh and their lawyer and family friend, Billy Black had helped them with legal documentations and any court paperwork needed. It had been the best thing they'd ever had happen to them according to Paul and Jared. Sam had been only too happy that he'd helped his friends out of harmful situations.

"Mom said you're working too much." Paul quipped.

"She sent us out to get you." Jared told him hopping into the bed of Sam's truck after Paul.

Sam only shook his head and wiped the sweat from his head with a dry part of his shirt before peeling it from his body. The muscles in his arms rippled as he hefted the last bale of hay onto the tailgate of his truck. Jared and Paul worked together to push it back enough to close the truck up before jumping out of the bed from the sides.

"You two ride out here just to get me, or did you just want an excuse to race the horses again?" Sam teased when they took a seat under the shade of a 30 year old oak tree.

They shrugged. "We did get sent out here to tell you to come back.." Paul started.

"We wanted to race the horses too though. It's been a few days." Jared shrugged again.

Sam chuckled. "Some things never change!" He teased.

"It's not that funny! You've been in a saddle since you were a toddler. We only learned how to ride in sixth grade! It's still new to us!" Paul joked.

They shared a laugh before Paul and Jared climbed back into their saddles. "Mom said not to be late. There's someone coming for lunch. Apparently she wants us in the dining room, not just on the porch like normal."

"Huh. Alright. Y'all go on back. I'll be there." Sam said climbing up into his truck. "I'm gonna drop these off in the barn first."

They nodded in agreement and left once Sam's truck had shifted into gear. Allison Uley never let anyone eat until everyone sat at the table and the longer it took the boys to get their work done, the longer the food went untouched.

(~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~)

"So, Sam, Jared, Paul… Were your classes easy this year?"

"Yeah, they were great. I've always been good with numbers, so the accounting classes are simple. Paul's better with business though. I do alright." Sam grinned.

Jared huffed. "I think I might die of boredom. The classes are too easy for me."

He'd always been smart- he'd buried his head in books to cope with the stress of a drunk and abusive dad. He spent his days now helping Old Quil on his ranch while taking veterinary courses online specializing in equine medicine.

Paul chuckled. "That's what you get for being a genius." He teased.

He took the same Business and Economic Development courses Sam was though he had started leaning more towards owning and operating a small business of his own. He had a talent for carving wood and wanted to use the one thing his dad had taught him before passing away to awe and inspire.

The three had been surprised to find their neighbor and family friend, Billy Black sitting at the table when they walked in after getting cleaned up to eat. He was a small town lawyer whom everyone loved and respected. He'd been handling any of the Uley's business contracts and legal issues for years now as well as their other close friend, Harry Clearwater. They told him time and again they were grateful for his friendship and his services and felt he was definitely a good friend to have.

Billy nodded his head. "That's good to hear. I'm glad you boys have had an easy time of things this year." He said taking a sip of his tea.

They all sat on the wrap around porch after eating their lunch enjoying the breeze. Billy had informed them that while he'd come for a social visit, he had a special request for them as well. It was a hard fact sometimes for Sam to wrap around his head that Billy and his dad had been best friends since childhood. They were so alike and yet so different in many ways. Time had a way to change things, Sam mused.

"So, Billy.. While we're on the subject of school, how's Jake. He just graduated, didn't he?" Josh asked.

"He did indeed. I even had him enrolled with Embry and Quil in the same private school Bella's momma sent her to, hoping she could keep him in line. It helped some… but not much. The dean told me if he'd had one more fight they would have been forced to expel him." Billy said shaking his head.

"He still getting into trouble now that he's home?" Sam asked. "Embry used to tell me Jake would get into fights all the time." He shrugged at the arched eyebrow he got from his dad.

"That's what I needed to talk to you about, Sam. He graduated by the skin of his teeth. He's not dumb by any means, but the boy has a temper to him." Billy sighed.

"You should have let him go to the public school, Billy." Josh teased.

Billy rolled his eyes. "I'll admit, these three did an amazing job- right down to competing for valedictorian, but Jake was too angry. Sarah passing away, then his sisters leaving the way they did for school… it was to much for him sometimes I think." He sighed. "I thought having his best friends in that private school would do him some good. Hell the only one who knows how to handle him alright is little Bella. And her daddy raised her tougher than you'd think."

"Well, he's coming home right? He won't be fighting so much." Jared offered.

"I hope so. So far all he's done is cause mischief… fighting with Doc Cullen's boys… needling the girls in town. That and a few of the local boys went to school with Jake… they're home for summer too."

Josh shook his head. "It's only been two weeks. Hell, don't you have that boy working yet?"

"Where? Here? Please, he'd have your ranch hands turning in their resignation letters in a week."

"What about chief Swan?" Paul wondered. "He's always looking for interns for the summer months."

"Well… now you know he's a good man. A damn good friend to both Josh and I- Harry too, but even he has his limits. I told him about Jake... he just laughed and told me he expected no less. Can you believe that?" Billy sighed.

"Of course. Don't you remember your momma swearin' you were gonna give her gray hair for the stunts we'd pull? Paul, your dad used to get in on it sometimes too, you know. We had Billy's momma cursin us up one side and down the other till she was blue in the face. It never phased us any." Josh grinned.

Paul smiled. He loved hearing about his dad as a kid. It made him feel closer to the man. He was forever thankful to Josh for helping him- for taking him in and calling him a son. He, Jared and Sam looked away with their lips twitching in amusement at the glare Billy sent towards his friend.

"Anyways," Billy huffed, "I have to go out of town for a couple weeks. I wondered if you three wouldn't mind keeping an eye on the house while I was gone. Just to make sure it's still standing He'll more than likely stay at Quil's. But if he fights, I'd rather it not be in my house."

Sam shared a look with Jared and Paul. At their nods, he turned back to Billy again. "Just two weeks, right?"

Billy nodded. "Just two weeks." He promised. "You can go over at night after things are done around here if it's easier."

Sam sighed. "Alright, when do you leave?"

"This afternoon. I know it's short notice, but your dad mentioned that you were home for the summer. And Jake wouldn't mind you being there as much as Josh, Charlie or Harry."

Sam inwardly sighed. "Ok I'll keep an eye out for him."

Billy smiled. "I owe you one, Sam."

Sam only shook his head and checked his watch. "We have to go feed the horses and clean the barns. It was good to see you Billy." Sam said standing to shake the man's hand.

When they were far enough away from the front porch, Paul let out a string of curses. "Remind me again why he asked us?" He finally grumbled.

Jared rolled his eyes. "Because, fucker. Sam can't say no to him, and even if WE did, he'd still have to say yes. Billy is a friend of Josh's, not to mention he's the lawyer in charge of the contracts associated with Haven Ranch. Saying no is an insult to him."

Paul rolled his eyes. "Right…"

"Embry hangs around him still. He says Jacob has calmed down some…" Sam said.

Embry Call was his only cousin and younger than Sam by two years. He also happened to be one of Jacob Black's best friends. Allison and Embry's mother, Tiffany, were half sisters who didn't find out about one another until Sam's grandpa died while the girls were still in high school. They'd grown close after that, and their bond had passed down to Embry and Sam.

"No offense, but Jacob is your cousins best friend. Of COURSE he's going to say that." Jared snorted.

Sam arched an eyebrow. "I guess we'll see tonight then." He mused.

"What's tonight?"

Sam showed them the text he'd just gotten. "There's a bonfire party tonight behind Quil's barn to celebrate his dad's absence."

"You know there are gonna be kegs and some of Billy's whiskey then." Jared mused.

Paul nodded. "And Embry is a lousy drunk."

Sam nodded. He tended to protect Embry from things- that included his best friends sometimes. From the looks of the text he'd just received, Sam would be on the lookout again.

"Damn kid is a trouble magnet!" Jared sighed.

"Damn kid is ONLY two years younger than us, Jay." Paul quipped.

Sam sighed. "If I ever find the son of a mother fucker who walked out on them, I'll tie him by the wrists to Jessup and let him run!" He growled.

"Little harsh?" Jared wondered looking at the horse in question.

Sam gave him a warning glance. He had always been protective of family. "It's not harsh enough." He finally muttered.

Even Paul shivered. Jessup was a black and white painted Shire horse. The only draft horse on Haven ranch, and he was used to haul away dead trees on the back ends on the pasture land where the machines and trucks sunk into the softer soil. He stood at an impressive 19 hands high- putting him at 6'3" tall when comparing him to a man's height.

Sam shrugged. "Lets just get the stalls mucked out and get ready. Embry said the party starts at 9. It'll be dark by then, we can take the horses down the back trails out to the old barn where Jacob likes to throw the bonfires."

All Sam could think while he worked beside Jared and Paul was two weeks needed to hurry and be over with now. He wasn't old enough to deal with all the stress he was sure to get.


	2. Chapter 1

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1

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If you wanna drink,  
Go baby just do your thing.  
Give up your keys.  
Hell why drive when you can stay with me?

And then after a while we'll sneak away from the bonfire.

Walk by the moonlight down to the riverside.

Gotcha sippin' on some moonshine.

Baby if you're in the mood you can settle for a one night rodeo,

You be my tan-legged Juliet,

I'll be your redneck Romeo.

-My Kind Of Party, Jason Aldean

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Sam looked around at the growing number of teenagers. Someone would end up doing something stupid here soon, he already knew. There were four kegs set up along with a table of food. How they got those kegs, he didn't want to know. He had the occasional drink every now and again- he wasn't a prude- but only when there were no adults to catch him and he'd limit himself to three or four- if that! He had his back leaned up against a large oak tree with his left leg propped up and a beer bottle in one hand. The girls that had started to arrive did their best to catch his attention pouting when he ignored them. They were too young for him to pay much attention to them.

Paul only rolled his eyes. "You know all I heard over there was how hot you looked?" He asked as he walked over to Sam to stand much in the same position.

Jared rolled his eyes. "It's about all I heard from them too… talking about BOTH of you."

Sam sighed. "Jail bait… just remember that. Besides… I heard a few things about you too." He smirked when Jared offered him a one finger salute.

They'd been there for an hour now just observing. Embry had found them, offered them a beer each and then walked off to find his friends. He'd commented on the tight jeans and shirts that the three wore before hand saying that if they didn't want so much attention, they shouldn't have dressed to impress. Sam had only rolled his eyes took the beer and sent him away. He started to think his cousin had a point when he saw more girls eying him like a piece of meat on a hook.

"So… my dad sent you three to keep me under control huh?"

"Hey Jacob." Sam said bumping their fists together. "He didn't send us tonight, he just asked us to make sure you didn't burn his house to the ground." He teased.

Paul shook his head. "Or knock some large holes through the windows." He added.

they all got along for the most part. They didn't know each other on a personal basis since they had different circles of friends, but their dad's were best friends so they did know OF each other.

"Havin' fun?" Jacob grinned. "And please… it's Jake. Jacob makes me think I'm in trouble.. Again."

They shared a laugh. "For the most part. Tons of jail bait though." Jared teased.

"Yeah.. Well.. Old timers like you shouldn't be at the cool kid parties." Jacob shot back with a smirk.

Sam rolled his eyes. "This as big as it's gonna get?"

"Nah. Still waitin on a few people. Chief's daughter is gonna come with the fucker she's dating." Jacob told them.

"That the one you been fightin? Doc Cullen's son?" Paul wondered.

Jacob nodded. "He doesn't respect Bella. I stepped in a couple times when he got overbearing and he went running to his daddy. Fucking pussy!"

"See.. I knew there had to be a reason behind it." A voice from behind them sounded.

Jacob grinned. "Hey Quil. Bout time you showed your ugly mug, you fucker!"

"Sorry… Claire wanted to see my horse. Essie just had her surgery done.. She wanted to check in on her. Wouldn't listen to me when I told her I had just checked on her before I went to get her." Quil shrugged.

Sam arched an eyebrow. "How's she doin? My dad told me coyotes tried to get her in your back pasture."

"Yeah. She protected one of the younger horses from them. Girl gave as good as she got, I think. I came out on my quad when I saw one of the coyotes running off with it's tail between it's legs. I didn't even see the bite until she dropped."

"Lucky. Your granddaddy said the bites were serious and if you hadn't of used your shirt she wouldn't have her leg." Jared said.

Quil shrugged. "I didn't even think about it. I just wanted to get her help. Guess it comes from being raised by a vet. There wasn't anything else but my shirt to use."

Jared nodded. He understood.

"- even want to BE here! Why did you even DRAG me out here! These aren't the kind of people I associate with Bella!" An angry voice sounded to their left.

Embry walked over to them. "Hey, Jake. Bella's here… behave ok?"

"Who the hell did she bring with her?" Jacob growled.

"Sounds like the fuckers you whooped up on the other day." Quil muttered.

Sam arched an eyebrow. He'd not seen Bella Swan since she was 13 years old and getting ready to go off to private school with Jacob, Quil and Embry. "Wow.. She's… different!"

Jacob smirked when he caught the way Sam stared at her. Being just two years younger than him meant she was one of the few girls here that wasn't jail bait. She was the first one to catch his eye though.

"Look, Edward.. Please, just… Jake is my best friend! I promised him I'd be here, I'm not backing down on this, so if you don't like it, you can take the truck home and I'll call you tomorrow!" Bella huffed.

Sam let his eyes rake over her form in the fire light. Her feet here covered in a pair of black cowboy boots that stood out against her light tanned legs. Those long legs were left bare, save for a pair of daisy duke cut offs that had him shifting where he stood. Her black tank top was hidden by a red checkered flannel button down and Sam had to bite his lip to keep from moaning. Bella Swan was DEFINITELY not a kid anymore. Her long mahogany hair was left to hang down to her waist, and when she turned, he could see the fire reflecting in her sinful chocolate eyes.

Yeah.. She definitely wasn't the little girl he used to know anymore.

"Bella! You made it!" Jacob crowed, bringing Sam from his day dreams.

Bella smiled and made her way over to the small group throwing her arms around Jacob's taller form. "Hey Jake. Thanks for inviting me!"

Jacob grinned. "Wouldn't be a party without you!"

"Bella…" Edward nearly growled. His friends watched and waited to see what would happen. They, like Edward, did not want to be there at all.

Jacob arched an eyebrow. "You brought a dog? Bella… aren't you afraid he'll get lost?"

"Last I heard dogs go missing easy in the woods." Quil mused.

Bella sighed. "Guys… please… not tonight?"

"She's right you guys… lets just agree to disagree for tonight." Embry said staring at Edward as he stood shoulder to shoulder with Jacob.

Edward's lip curled into a sneer. "Taking up for your boyfriend now are you? How cute." He spat. Edward's friends burst into laughter behind him. Embry recognized them from school. James Gigandet- his cousin- and Laurent Gathegi their best friend.

Embry glared at him. "Watch it copper top. Just because I'm agreeing with Bella doesn't mean I won't haul your ass out behind the barn and string you up by the limp noodle you call a dick!"

Paul whistled in shocked awe. "Damn son! I think I'd listen to him. Embry doesn't make idle threats."

Bella turned to him and gawked. "Paul?"

"Hey princess." He said winking.

Edward huffed and grabbed Bella's arm at the elbow. "I think its time for us to go! It doesn't look like we're welcome here."

"I told you, I'm staying!" Bella said through grit teeth. She'd been trying to avoid making a scene, but Edward wanted to make it hard.

Jacob's face went from annoyed to furious when the blonde to Edward's left opened his mouth. "If the bitch wants to stay, let her fucking stay, Edward. We can find PLENTY of other girls to spend time with us."

Sam sighed and shook his head. The situation had already started escalating. "I think y'all need to leave now. It's obvious she wants to stay and its even more obvious that you don't want to be here. The way I see it, y'all comin' here is causin' problems for those of us trying to relax." He said well aware of the growing crowd of curious onlookers.

"And HOW is it any of your business what we do dumb fuck?" The blonde asked.

Jared nudged Embry. "Who's that?"

"That's James. That's the guy Jake fought so much at school. He's Edward's cousin and he's spending the summer here before they both go off to school. Jake hates the guy." Embry whispered back.

Laurent rolled his eyes when he noticed Jacob and Quil cracking their knuckles. He'd been in school with them all year, however, he'd stayed out of fights with them for the most part. "Wonderful. Bella, mon cher, why did you bring us out here? The intelligence in these parts is clearly lacking."

"I have to agree, Laurent. Though, I will admit they grow them tall in the boondocks. Too bad they fall fast." James smirked.

Bella sighed. "Please don't start. You guys, these are my friends, and I don't appreciate the drama! You ALWAYS start something. Why can't you just mind yourself for one night?!"

James glared. "Why can't you just mind your mouth? Edward told you we didn't want to come."

"So you should have stayed home!" Bella huffed.

Edward took a step towards Bella only to have Sam step further in front of her. "You may have money, Cullen, but out here, it don't mean a thing. You don't step up to a woman with intent to harm."

Bella stared at Sam in shock. He'd defended her without knowing her.

"And if I step to you? You look easy enough to knock down with one hit." James mused.

Sam smirked and passed his beer to Paul. His hat was removed and passed to someone behind him. "You sure you want to start messin with people before you know how they fight dumbass."

"The fuck you callin' a dumbass, you dumbass redneck?" James growled shoving Sam backwards. He'd nearly knocked him into Bella who had been standing behind him.

Quil was quick to grab her away. He rolled his eyes at the irony of what James had just said. "He does realize the hypocrisy in that statement doesn't he?" He muttered. Jacob only snickered.

"What? Too much of a pussy to fight back?" James asked as he threw a punch to Sam's jaw.

Embry only winced. "Shit.. Here we go."

Jacob watched on in avid fascination. There was a reason not too many people messed with Sam. People in town knew him to be polite and down to earth.. Unless he was provoked. He'd only ever been in three fights that Jacob was aware of, and that was by word of mouth. But Sam had walked away from those fights while the other guys had been left laying on the ground after two or three hits.

"You sure you wanna go down that road?" Sam checked.

James spat at his feet. "I'm not afraid of you! No dumbass redneck is gonna tell me how to handle myself!" He sneered.

"Come on Sam… don't do anything stupid…" Jared smirked.

Sam rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders. When he turned back to James he was met with a fist to his jaw. Bella's gasp and the shouts of his friends were all he heard as the shock of the unexpected punch rolled over him. The anger followed the shock. He wiped the small bit of blood from the corner of his mouth and prodded his jaw.

"See Edward, I told you it would be fine. The boys around here are too dumb to defend themselves!" James crowed.

Edward smirked. "I guess so. Now come on Bella. This party blows."

They were the last words out of his mouth before Sam's fist met James' nose. Two more hits to his face and one more to his stomach and Sam watched in satisfaction as he dropped to the ground. Edward eyed him in shock. James was the fighter of the two. Edward may have been born in the south, but his family had a lot of money due to the success his dad had as a doctor. He'd never had to work for anything in his life and therefore didn't know how to fight well. He held his hands up in surrender instantly.

"Take your boy, get the fuck in your car and go the hell home. Bella can find a ride home with one of us. Do NOT let me catch you out here again tonight, you'll regret it if I do." Sam told him with a frown.

With a sigh Sam leaned back against a tree, his eyes closed, after taking his hat back from Jared. He tensed when he felt the soothing cold of a fresh beer bottle against his cheek. When his eyes opened he was lost to a twin pools of chocolate.

Bella bit her lip and kept holding the beer bottle to the spot Sam had been punched. He'd defended her when he didn't have to- not knowing that was the way her boyfriend was. This was the least she could do. He'd definitely grown since she left for private school. She told herself that he was a vision to see. The way he was all but poured into his form fitting jeans and tight tee shirt was sinful. She shook herself mentally. He more than likely didn't even remember her. Much less remember the crush she had on him.

"I just wanted to say thanks. You didn't have to do that." She finally said with a small blush across her cheeks.

"Its not problem Bella. He shouldn't have been treating you like that, much less lay a hand on you." Sam said. His attention was turned to his friends who had called him away from the stunned girl.

He remembered her.

A throat clearing beside her drew her attention to Jacob. "Hey Jake."

"Not a bad catch…" Jacob mused.

She huffed. "I don't know WHAT you're talking about, Jake. I have a boyfriend, remember?"

"You sure?"

"Jake.. .you're my best friend… You have been since we were born. I'm telling you now… if I would have had a chance to get Sam before I had Edward… well…"

Jacob just grinned. "Come on Bells. Let's go get you a new man!" He said with a chipper smile that faded when her back turned. He loved and hated having a female best friend. He'd nursed a crush on her only to be placed in the friend zone at the start of high school. Now he was about to set her up to bag a guy he barely knew. The only thing he was pleased with, was Edward would be history.


	3. Chapter 2

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2

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It's like a bolt of lightning hits me in my chest  
Right out of the blue  
Every time I see you, every time I see you  
Top of the world I'm standing rocking at my best  
Then I look like a fool  
Every time I see you, every time I see you

-Luke Bryan, Every Time I See You  
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Bella sighed and pushed her sunglasses onto the top of her head and rang the doorbell of the Uley's home. She didn't have to wait too long before loud barking was heard followed by the commanding voice of one Allison Uley. The door was opened slow enough that Bella had a chance to place a small smile on her lips.

"Bella Swan! What a surprise! Come on in, sweetheart! Can I get you a drink? I just made some sweet tea." Allison offered while holding onto the collars of two large, brindle coated pit bulls.

"Hi, Mrs. Uley. I'm fine, thank you. I'm sorry to just show up like this." She said with a sheepish smile.

"Oh, nonsense darlin! Diablo, Sage! That's enough! You two hush now. Bella's a friend. Get on out of here. Go on now!"

Bella smiled when the dogs instantly quieted. "They're gorgeous. They look just like Lolita."

"Oh she's around here somewhere. She's more than likely out with Josh in the training ring." Allison said with a grin. She chuckled when Bella's eyes lit up with excitement.

"You still have her?"

Allison nodded. "Your daddy didn't want her put down, but that dog only ever loved two people- you and my husband. With you off at a private school and only home for summer, he brought her here. She got out before we could have her fixed and met up with Harry's big pit bull, Thor. Those are two of their pups. Sasha is out with Sam. That dog would sleep with him if I let her." She said walking them both towards the kitchen.

Bella giggled. Lolita had been a gift from her father. He'd found her in a dog fighting ring he'd broken apart. Charlie had listened to numerous reports about the ring and had gone to see for himself if they were true. He'd

nearly thrown up at the sight of the horrible living conditions he'd seen. Josh had offered to take Lolita at first, but Bella swore she'd take care of the dog on her own. When she'd go to visit her mother in Florida, Josh would take care of her until she came home.

"So who do the other two belong to then?"

"Diablo is Paul's. Sage is Jared's. Neither of them like the horses, so they stay here at the house when the boys go into the back pastures."

"I see. They look just like their momma!" Bella cooed scratching Diablo's head.

"They act like her too!" Allison huffed.

Bella grinned when Sage nudged her hand for attention. She pet him and found herself agreeing with Allison. Lolita had done the same thing to get her attention when she'd had her. She was brought from her thoughts by a glass of tea being pushed into her hand.

"So what brings you by honey? Not that I don't mind a visit from you in the least." Allison wondered.

Bella smiled. "My dad wanted me to invite you to dinner tonight if your family is free. I told him that Sam helped me out this past weekend at Quil's when my boyfriend started getting rough. I think it's his way of saying thanks." She shrugged.

Allison beamed. "Well, I'll be sure to bring something for desert… don't you worry your precious head about it! Maybe some pecan pie? Two I think!"

"That sounds awesome! It's been a while since I've had any." Bella grinned. Her stomach growled at the thought of it.

Allison heard it and shook her head. "Good lord, is that the time? Bella, would you be opposed to rounding up the boys? They're fixin the fences in the back pasture. A coyote or something else got through them last night down where the posts have started falling."

"Oh.. Uh.. Sure.. I can get them." She said with a blush.

Allison smiled. "I'll be sure to set a place out for you as well." She said with a nod. "Thank you sweetheart."

"It's not problem Mrs. Uley." She said.

"Bless you, darlin, I've known you since you were knee high to me.. You ARE allowed to call me Allison, you know." she said showing her to the back door.

"Yes ma'am." Bella said with a small wave.

No matter how old she was, she'd always feel uncomfortable calling the older woman anything other than ma'am, Mrs. Uley or Mrs. Allison. She sighed and put it from her mind as she made her way to the barn. She grinned when she saw Embry mucking the stalls.

"You missed a stall you know." She said, giggling when he spun around quick enough he nearly tripped.

"Damn girl, make some noise!" He teased.

She shook her head. "Where's the fun in that?"

"Ehh…" He shrugged. "What can I do for you Bella?"

"Your aunt sent me to find a horse. She asked me to go get Sam, Paul and Jared. I guess they all of them left their phones in the house. It's time for lunch." She shrugged.

Embry shook his head. His aunt had to be up to something for sure; she knew the radio in Sam's truck had been fixed. "Take Comanche." He finally said, pointing to a tall, sorrel colored quarter horse. He grinned when the horse in question poked his head over the door of his stall.

"He's gorgeous! Will he let me ride him?" She wondered.

"Would I tell you too if not? I'm not Quil or Jake Bella!" He huffed.

Bella sighed. "I know. I'm sorry. I trust you Em. I do."

"I shouldn't have snapped. I'm here blowing off steam. My mom's new boyfriend is at the house."

Bella hugged him before moving into the stall to greet Comanche. When Embry came into view a few minutes later with an armful of tack, she moved to help him with it. When she was finally up in the saddle, Embry took the reins and led them out of the barn. She leaned down when he let go and stole his hat from him. With a smirk, she tossed him her sunglasses to keep safe.

"How do I look?" Embry teased, batting his eyelashes.

Bella giggled. "Promise me you'll never do that again!" She crowed.

"Promise to bring my hat and my horse back?" He checked.

She blanched. "He's yours?"

He nodded his head. "Yeah, he's mine. Sam took amazing care of him for me while I was in school." He grinned when the completely white horse in the next stall over poked her head out to say hi. "This is his mom."

"Snow Queen is his mom? Embry, she's a champion barrel racer!" Bella crowed.

"I know. My mom didn't like the thought of just anyone having her horse's only offspring, so she gave him to me." He shrugged.

"Wow. I never knew that. No wonder he's so easy going, huh." She grinned.

Embry rolled his eyes. "Save the flattery for my cousin, yeah?"

"I have NO idea what you're talking about, Embry! I have a boyfriend!" She huffed. She didn't give him a chance to answer before she was off towards the pastures.

It dawned on him as he watched her riding off that Bella had completely taken his mind off of his moms new boyfriend, Sebastian. He had to smile for it. It's what made her one of his best friends. She never pushed him for information and a new topic was brought up if the situation called for it. He shook his head, gave Snow Queen a sugar cube and went back to cleaning the stalls., his mind lighter than it had been before he'd started.

(~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~)

"Hey isn't that Comanche?"

Sam looked over his shoulder to the spot Jared had pointed. "Looks like it." He huffed before driving the fence post further into the ground.

"That ain't Embry though!" Paul snickered when the horse grew closer.

Sam arched an eyebrow but continued his work. "Who else does Embry let ride his horse?"

"She's about 5'6", weighs oh.. I'd say 120lbs, has brown hair and brown eyes? Not to mention she's caught your eye." Jared teased.

Sam's hands stilled in their work, the barbed wire fence held tight in his gloved fingers. "Paul, hook this!" He huffed after a minute.

It was Jared's turn to snicker. "We're goin' over to the next post." He said dragging Paul away. "You two talk."

Sam barely heard them. He'd finally turned to see Bella and was awed by the vision she created. Hip hugging, low rise, second skin jeans clung to her legs while a simple black, form fitting white baby doll tee shirt clung to her form. What about killed him was the boots and black hat- Embry's hat he huffed- along with her free hanging, waist length hair.

"Hey Sam." Bella greeted stopping Comanche in front of him.

He blinked. "Hey Bella. What's got you ridin' all the way here?"

She only blushed, trying to control her hormones. She already had a boyfriend! She didn't need to drool over Sam… even if he was in a pair of worn dusty boots, faded, dusty, low rise jeans, a tool belt, gloves and a hat. His shirt lay over a near by tree limb and his tan skin gleamed with sweat in the sun.

"Bella?"

"Huh? Oh! Sorry… um… your uh.. Your mom asked me to come get you three for lunch." She stuttered.

"That's good. It just started getting hot out here." He teased.

She nodded and bit her lower lip. "Yeah..."

Sam grinned up at her- the sexiest grin he could muster. He was well aware of the way she drank him in as her eyes roved over his naked torso. "So are you stayin' for lunch too?" He asked patting Comanche's nose when he shifted.

"I told her I would." She said clearing her throat to keep her voice steady.

Sam nodded. "Well alright then." He said with another orgasm inducing grin.

"I'm uh… I'll uh… I'll see you at the house." She finally choked out before turning Comanche and heading back towards Sam's house.

Sam shook his head before calling back to Jared and Paul. "Lunch." He said gathering up his shirt. He only arched an eyebrow when he saw the last couple fence posts already in the ground with the fencing stretched across them.

"How long were we talkin?" He wondered.

Jared shrugged. "Twenty minutes? I'm only wondering why mom sent her out here to talk to him instead of calling us in over the radio."

Paul smirked. "They didn't talk though. It was more of him teasin' her, her blushin' and you flirtin'… something I've not seen you do since-"

"DON'T!" Sam growled.

Jared looked away so he didn't say anything. He'd seen Sam at his worst after his last relationship. Sometimes he wondered if Sam would ever get over the girl who had stolen his heart, cut it up, trampled it then sewn it back into his chest all in one night.

Paul sighed. "Sorry, I wasn't thinking Sam." He muttered.

"It's fine man. I just… come on it's time to go. Mom hates waiting." He said changing the subject all together.

Jared clapped Paul on the shoulder before moving to load everything back into the bed of Sam's truck. When they were ready, he tapped the side of the truck twice and they were headed back. Each of them was quiet for the entire ride back to the house. By the time they walked into the house to wash up, the tension within Sam himself was enough that his mother shot him worrying looks, wondering just what had put the frown on his face.

Sam only shook his head and kissed her cheek. Even Paul and Jared knew that he'd be better by the end of the day. Once his ex was out of his mind. Nothing did that better than a hard day's work. Or maybe Bella would help him. They'd bide their time and see.


	4. Chapter 3

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3

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When tears come down  
Like falling rain  
You'll toss around  
And call my name  
You'll walk the floor  
The way I do  
Your cheatin' heart will tell on you...

-Hank Williams Sr., Your Cheatin' Heart

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Paul and Jared sighed, both of them sitting with glasses of iced tea in their hands enjoying the morning. Sam had been woken up to a text message followed by his phone ringing not an hour earlier. He'd stormed through the house before telling them he'd be in the back fields with Jessup clearing trees. They knew better than to ask what had happened so they let him go. He'd talk when he was ready. If not they'd badger him until he either threw a punch or gave in and told them what was on his mind.

"Hey boys. Where's Sam?" Allison asked Paul and Jared from behind the front porch screen door.

Paul and Jared jumped, nearly spilling their drinks. "He took Jessup out to the back field. There were a few trees that fell that the truck couldn't get close enough to them without it sinking." Paul finally said.

Allison nodded. "You two come get something for him to drink before you go out there." She warned.

"How did you know that's where we'd go?" Jared wondered. She still amazed him when she did things like that.

Allison grinned. "Sweetheart, I may not be your blood, but I'm still your mom. I know things. You should have learned that by now."

Paul shook his head. "Dude… 20 years old getting schooled by your mom… loser."

"I heard that Paul! Now apologize to your brother!" She called from the kitchen.

Jared snorted and bit his lip to keep from laughing. Paul grumbled out an apology to appease Allison and shook his head muttering under his breath. The playful mood was gone the minute they heard her answer the phone before swearing.

"Whoa… What's goin on mom?" Jared asked running into the house with Paul hot on his heels.

"Mom… you ok?" Paul wondered, hesitating as he approached her.

Allison sighed. "I'm sorry boys. I may have lost my temper some." She said apologetically.

"Who was that?" Jared wondered. He didn't often see the Uley matriarch lose her temper that way.

"Sam's ex…" She growled.

Paul's eyes went even wider. "Holy shit!"

"Watch your mouth young man or I'll wash it out with soap. You may be grown and in college but your not old enough that you can talk that way in front of me." Allison chided.

"Sorry. Um… we're gonna take Sam something to drink and go help him." Paul muttered.

"There's only two hours or so now before lunch. You make sure you boys are back in time!" She warned.

Jared nodded chorused a 'Yes ma'am' and grabbed a sports bottle each to fill up for themselves and Sam. With the task complete and the tea back in the fridge, they took off, racing to get out of the house and out to their horses.

Paul shook his head when he placed his tack on his horse, Cadence. He'd chosen the name in part due to the breed- a Tennessee Walking Horse. "Hey buddy, you wanna go for a race?" He asked patting the horses nose.

"First one to him gets to needle him first?" Jared asked with a grin. He patted Camden's neck as he climbed into the saddle.

He'd always admired the coloration- a sooty buckskin- and he'd fallen in love with the breed. Harry had bought him from a rodeo- the only Morgan he'd ever owned- then sold him to Jared just two years ago. He'd worked with Camden every day since he'd turned 14 and Harry had told him he didn't think was fair to keep him when the horse had so clearly chosen Jared.

Paul smirked. "Sounds like a deal!" He grinned. "Come on Cadence."

(~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~)

Sam sighed and patted Jessup's nose when he came close enough, laughing when the goliath snorted into his hair. He'd taken a cat nap in the long grass after felling the first tree to try and rid himself of some aggression. He didn't bother looking up when he heard footsteps approaching. He knew who it was. He placed his hat over his face in an effort to pretend to be asleep. Paul and Jared only huffed.

"Wake up fucker." Paul smirked while kicking his boot.

Sam's response was a one finger salute and a muffled 'fuck you jackass.' He sighed when Jared swatted his hat off of his face forcing him to sit up to keep the sun out of his eyes.

"You know… I finally calmed down and you two mother fuckers are gonna do nothin' more than piss me off again!" He warned standing up, dusting his jeans off as he went.

He picked up the gas powered chain saw he'd brought with him and started sawing through the trunk of the most recently felled tree.

"Good! Maybe you'll tell us what the hell your issue is then!" Jared grinned when the chain saw stopped.

Paul patted Jessup on the nose before counting the sawed tree limbs. "Little tense Sammy boy?" He teased.

"Whatever you two think you're doing won't work. I know what you two are up to already." Sam quipped. He piled the logs into the cart he'd brought before going back to get more.

Jared arched an eyebrow. "What, we're not doing anything, are we Paul? We're being concerned brothers…that's all." He said placing a log into the cart.

"Uh huh.. Tell me why I don't believe you for a split second." Sam's eyebrow arched in challenge.

"Come on man, what's buggin ya?" Paul pressed.

Sam's eyes rolled. "Nothing."

"You sure.." Jared needled.

The logs were nearly picked up and loaded onto the cart which meant that it'd be time to go relatively soon. Paul frowned. Sam had kept whatever had been bugging him close to his chest today. Jared nudged him when Sam wasn't looking and gave him a look that clearly said '_ask him' _before picking up another log.

Sam scoffed and rolled his eyes. He'd seen the exchange. "I'm fine." He said peeling his still sweaty shirt from his torso. He'd just hung it on a near by limb when Paul said the magic words.

"Emily called the house this morning, you know." Paul said conversationally. "Is she the reason you're so tense today?"

Sam's jaw tensed. He took a moment to collect himself before going back to work. "Did she say anything?"

"Dunno. Mom gave her an earful and hung up on her before we got into the house. I think she wanted to talk to you about something." Jared said with a nod of his head.

It was all Sam needed to let go of the anger he'd been pushing back. Before Paul or Jared could stop him, Sam's left hand was a bloody mess of broken skin and splinters of bark. "Motherfucker!" Sam shouted.

"Hey, come on man! Take it easy! Damn, you're gonna break your fucking hand!" Jared huffed pushing Sam away from the tree. "We didn't want you to break every fucking bone in your body Sam! Jesus!"

"Move Jay." Sam growled.

"No! god damn you're a fucking bull! The hell did you have to eat this morning? Bricks?!" Jared snapped. "Fucking sit the hell down and talk to us!"

"Dude, just let him go! You'll fucking kill _your_self trying to keep him from killing **himself**!" Paul snapped.

"Then fucking help me fucker!" Jared huffed. "Mom will have a conniption fit when she sees his hand! Then we'll get blamed for not stopping him!"

"Fuck that! I'm not THAT stupid." Paul scoffed.

Sam rolled his eyes. "Will you two both just shut the hell up already! Damn, I'm right here. My fucking hand hurts like a bitch now." He sighed.

Jared grimaced when he saw the state of Sam's hand. His knuckles were busted open and he had a few large pieces of bark stuck in the skin. "Damn, can you ride like that? Jessup's a hard horse to handle if he's in a mood to be stubborn. Plus you'll have to hitch up the cart too."

Paul sighed. "Take Cadence. He's an easy ride. I can take Jessup back." Paul said before packing up the chain saw and strapping the logs down to the cart Sam had brought with him.

Jessup's ears went back in protest. He somehow knew Sam wouldn't be the one to ride him back to the barn. When Paul started to lift himself into the saddle Jessup stomped his hoof and bucked causing Paul to jump back before he was thrown. Jared snorted. The horse had never liked Paul. Even when they were kids.

"Alright then… YOU ride him!" Paul huffed after having the same thing happen twice more.

Jared grinned and pulled a carrot stick from his pocket. Paul only rolled his eyes and muttered 'smart ass' under his breath. "I'm studying to be an equine vet, Paul. First thing you learn- stay calm at ALL times- even when you're deathly afraid. Second thing you learn is most horses like treats." He said with a shrug. "Whoa… this damn horse is too high off the ground." He added.

Sam rolled his eyes and nudged Cadence towards home. "You two are nuts. If mom asks… I did NOT punch the tree." He warned.

"Sam… it's not like she's gonna be mad about it." Paul tried. He patted Jessup's side after the cart had been hitched to him.

Jared frowned. "The only thing she can say is don't do it anymore- not that you'd listen anyways."

"Just don't tell her, alright?! I don't want her worrying about anything right now." Sam huffed.

He nodded in satisfaction when they promised him with some reluctance- they hated lying to Allison about anything because she always seemed to know when they did. They all knew Allison loved to hover when someone was hurt. Sam didn't want that at the current moment.

"Come on, lets get you home and get your hand cleaned and wrapped." Paul muttered.

Jared clicked his tongue and waited for Sam and Paul to walk in front of him before nudging Jessup towards the barns.

"Hey, Sam, who's car is that?" Jared asked when they came out of the barn after taking care of the horses.

"Not sure… it's not one I recognize." He shrugged.

Paul stopped walking and stared in disbelief at the car. He knew that car. Emily's cousin had a car just like that, but she lived in Enigma- the next town over from Alapaha. "No way…"

"What?" Jared asked.

"No fucking way!" He growled.

"What, Paul? What is it?" Sam wondered.

Paul took off running to the front of the house, forgetting that he was muddy and sweaty from working. Sam and Jared were forced to chase after him. He wished he'd stayed where he had been after he caught up to Paul in the front of the house.

"Sam! Oh wow! Sam! Hi! Look at you! You haven't changed one little bit!" A woman crowed before running over to hug him.

"Emily…"

"Boys, what's going on out here?" Allison asked having seen the strange car in the driveway. She gasped when she saw who it was. Her smile left her face and her eyes turned cold. If Emily appeared phased, she didn't show it.

Jared was the first to recover from his stupor and move to disengage Emily from a still stunned Sam. "What the FUCK are you doin' here, girl?" He growled low enough that Allison couldn't hear.

Emily blinked. "Am I not welcome here anymore? I thought I would come to visit my friends." She said with a smile. Inside she started to panic. She'd been missing Sam since she'd left him, and she'd come to ask him to take her back. It looked like it wouldn't be as easy as she thought.

"Friends we're definitely NOT!" Paul snapped.

Emily frowned. "Sam? Is that true? Am I not welcome here anymore?"

"You don't get to speak to him, you did enough when you walked out on him after throwing it in his face that you not only cheated on him, but you killed the baby he didn't even KNOW about you stupid, life sucking, blood shedding, bitch assed whore." Paul growled.

Emily gasped in shock. It was all she could do. Paul had never yelled at her before, nor had he ever used that kind of language around her. Sam saw the look on Allison's face at Paul's wording choice and placed a calming hand on his shoulder with a sigh.

"Y'all go on inside now. Lunch is gonna be done soon, I'm sure mom could use the help." Sam told them.

"But Sam-" Paul tried but was cut off by his raised hand.

Sam gave them a small smile. "It's alright guys. I'll be inside in a few minutes."

Jared sighed and dragged Paul into the house. They, along with Allison, wanted to stay until Emily was gone. Sam knew it. He guessed that was the reason they they'd been so reluctant to leave him standing in front of the girl. He had offered to give her everything he owned including his heart... Until the day she pranced through the school telling everyone that she was done with Sam. She told him later in private that she'd gone to see a doctor in an abortion clinic and had her month long pregnancy terminated. She didn't want any strings attached to Sam left.

"Why did you come back Emily?" Sam finally asked. "What did you think would happen?"

Emily sighed. "We promised each other once that we could come to each other to talk. I've been missing you so much lately… I just wanted to come hang out with you. We were friends once… can't we go back to that? Can't we see each other again?"

"Emily, I can't. Not this time." Sam said with a sigh. "I don't trust you anymore."

"But… aren't you even going to talk to me anymore?" She wondered, floored that the gentle giant of a man in front of her had been so aloof.

"No, I'm not. You made it clear we were done before you left the first time. I don't care why you're back. I don't want to even know. Just please, leave me and my family alone." He sighed before going into the house.

She was left to stare after him, frustrated that he hadn't even listened to her. She wanted him back and she'd get him back one way or another. She had a few friends left in town, she'd talk to them for ideas. By the end of summer, she was confident that she'd be able to call Sam hers again.


	5. Chapter 4

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4

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If you let this train roll down these tracks  
Gonna wish you tried to talk me back  
Boy, you're gonna miss everything we had  
If you let this train roll down these tracks

-Sara Evans, Slow Me Down

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Bella smiled and lay down on the blanket she, Jacob, Quil and Embry had been using to enjoy the early Saturday afternoon sun. They'd all met up with their friend, Angela, for a picnic in the park. It'd been a while since they'd seen Angela. The last they remembered of her, she still wore her hair in a braid down her back to keep the sticks and leaves out of it when she climbed trees. Instead, she'd come with her younger brothers who had kept the small group entertained until they'd gotten tired. Angela had taken them home in order to get herself ready for work at the local diner and promised she'd catch up with them soon.

Jacob grinned down at her before poking her side. "Tired yet?"

Bella hummed and curled towards him to use his jean covered thigh as a pillow. "Nope." She grinned with her eyes still closed.

He only rolled his eyes when he saw the sympathetic smiles from Quil and Embry. He'd never leave the friend zone, but somehow he was fine with that. He told his friends, he would rather have her in his life in this capacity than not have her in his life at all. That they could understand. Bella was one of a kind.

"Hey, look guys. It's James. He's panting after some blonde haired chick by the duck pond." Quil sneered.

"I thought Victoria was still his girlfriend." Bella mused.

Jacob huffed. "She is! He's a damn player. Too bad he doesn't come over here. I'd fix that in a heartbeat with a crack to his nose. Then again, it might improve his looks some… what do ya think Bells?"

Embry snorted before she could answer. "NOTHING will improve THAT, Jake."

Bella sighed. "Why do you hate James so much Jake? I mean I get he and you didn't run in the same circles at school but we're not IN school anymore. So why not let it go?"

"I wish I could Bells. James doesn't like me because I caught his girlfriends' eye and she kissed me at a party our senior year. He thinks I'm a threat now and he tries to make my life a living hell now."

"Don't forget the time in gym when she 'fell' into your lap and copped a feel… that was cringe worthy." Quil mused.

Jake shook his head. "She tried to weasel her way into my lap at a few dances too."

Embry rolled his eyes. "James is just a jealous person to start with, Bells. In some ways he's worse than Edward."

Bella shook her head. "And here I thought you guys weren't going to mention him today!"

"Come on Bells. We're only lookin out for you! 'Sides.. That city boy couldn't handle you!" Quil crowed.

Embry's phone ringing cut off anything else said. After a few minutes of hushed conversation, he hung up and sighed. "I gotta go y'all."

"Everything ok Em?" Jake asked. It was rare that Embry ever worried about things, and he looked too upset at the moment.

"That was Jay. Sam busted his hand up while they were in the back pasture of the ranch. He heard some news today that didn't sit well with him." Bella stood up and dragged Embry to her truck without a backwards glance to her friends. Jacob and Quil just snickered.

"Sure... We can get home. Thanks for checking Bella." Quil teased.

Bella shot him a raised middle finger. "Jake's car is right there. You'll be fine." she huffed.

Embry grinned. "You didn't have to do that you know." He said when they pulled out the parking lot.

"No, but he's your family and you were upset. So of course I didn't HAVE to, no. I wanted to do this. It's what any good friend would have done." she corrected.

"Will you wait with me there? I mean… you don't have too…" He muttered.

She grinned. "Hey Em?"

"Yeah?"

"Why do you bother to ask? You know I will."

He smiled. "Thanks."

It took them another fifteen minutes to reach Sam's house and only ten more minutes after that to learn why Sam had busted his hand open. Bella was confused and Embry had become just as livid as the rest of his family. She sighed and took a seat on the front porch steps to wait for Embry as she promised she'd do.

"Hey Bella." a voice said from behind her.

She jumped and turned to see Sam by the front door with a glass of sweet tea. "Sam! Oh geez! Here let me help!" She said opening the door for him. "How's your hand?"

Sam shrugged. "I'll live. It hurts but I think I'll be ok. Doc Cullen made a house visit." he grinned.

"Well I hope you feel better soon. I don't see a cast so I guess you won against whatever was hit."

He smirked. "Could say that."

"My dad isn't here so it wasn't a person at least. Too bad you lost your temper and harmed something at all." she teased.

He chuckled and offered her the glass he'd been holding as he took a seat beside her on the porch step. She smiled and took a sip, closing her eyes in humming in satisfaction. "Whoever made this did an awesome job."

He grinned. "Thanks."

"_You_ made it?" Bella asked arching an eyebrow at him in surprise.

Sam grinned. "Yeah. My mom taught me to make it when I was 14. Been makin' in since then. Never gonna be as good as hers though." He shrugged.

"It's damn good now though." She smiled before blushing as she realized what she had said. "I mean…it's good."

Sam chucked and scooted closer. "I won't tell anyone you cursed if you don't tell anyone that I made the tea." He pretended to whisper.

She couldn't help but giggle at his antics. "Deal."

He hissed when he went to brace is weight on his hands behind him, causing her to take his injured hand in her lap. "How'd you hurt it?"

Sam sighed. "Can I be honest?"

"Talking helps sometimes. So yes. You tell me as much as you want."

"No judging?" He checked.

Bella smiled. "Promise."

"Ok… so… I don't know if you heard, but in high school I dated this girl named Emily… you know her?"

"Emily Young… yeah… Embry told me he couldn't stand her but wouldn't say why."

Sam smiled. "Yeah… well… a lot happened and she did a few shitty things… took off outta here like a bat outta hell to her aunt and uncles house in Enigma. I got a text from a buddy of mine earlier today… she's back in town. Then I heard from Jared and Paul that she called and talked to my mom…"

Bella ran her thumb over Sam's knuckles in a soothing gesture. He couldn't feel it through the bandages, but he smiled all the same. "I heard from my dad about it when I came back for Christmas break. I'm sorry for how she treated you. No one deserves that."

Sam smiled. Everyone else he knew gave him pity over it still. But not Bella. Somehow he knew she had been apologizing not to show pity, but sympathy. "It's alright. It just irritated me. When I found out that she called the house… my poor mom had to deal with her and I wasn't here as a buffer so I took it out on a few trees in the back pasture. Then I hit a poor unsuspecting tree trunk." He grinned.

She snickered. "See! I was right! What'd the poor tree do to deserve your abuse?" She teased, nudging his arm.

Sam laughed. "It was either that or Paul. I chose the tree so I wouldn't fight my brother." He shrugged.

"Typical guy then, huh." She grinned.

It was how Paul and Jared found the two. To say they were shocked was an understatement. They took a look at one another and grinned. Sam and Bella had started to get closer without outside help. It may be easier than anyone had thought previously.

The sound of a truck pulling up alerted them to Jacob and Quil. Bella smiled and waved to them. "Hey guys.. Everything ok?"

Jacob shrugged. "Guess so. Park got too crowded."

"Jake…" Bella sighed. "Do I even wanna know?"

Quil shook his head. "Your boyfriend is an ass, Bells. That's all I'm gonna say." He huffed.

Bella gasped when she saw the busted lip he now sported. "What'd you do?! Did you guys get into a fight? Jake! You promised me you'd behave!"

Sam, Paul and Jared had to fight back snickers as the lithe female stood with her hands on her hips scolding her best friend. Sam sighed. "Hey, Bella… can you go grab Embry? I'm sure Jake wants to talk to him. I bet that's why they showed up here." He teased.

"Nothing personal Sam." Quil muttered.

Bella glared at the two before sauntering inside to find her friend. Jacob glared when Sam, Paul and Jared followed her with their eyes targeted on her rear end. He knew they couldn't help it, Bella was gorgeous. But he was protective of her, and she of him.

"So… what happened?" Jared asked clearing his throat after a minute.

Quil sighed. "James spotted us… made his way over and started talking crap about us. Her boyfriend- Edward- was with him."

"They're cousins, right?" Paul asked.

Jacob nodded. "Yeah, and both of them are spoiled rotten. They have money to their names, so they think they're above everyone else in town. Pisses me off to no end!"

"So who threw the first punch?" Sam asked.

"Punch?" Quil asked.

Paul arched an eyebrow. "Your lip is busted… did you get hit?"

Jacob snorted. "Quil acted like his typical self… some chick Edward was with… Quil asked her if she wanted to come home with a real man… told her he'd take for the ride of her life."

Jared snorted. "Tell me she didn't hit you…"

"She wore a ring… turned the bitch around so the stone caught me when she slapped me." He shrugged.

"What was her name?" Sam wondered. There weren't too many girls who would think to do that.

"Emma or something." He shrugged.

Paul swallowed. "Emily?"

Jacob arched an eyebrow. "How'd you know?"

"You SURE the name was Emily?" Jared asked.

Quil nodded thinking back. "Yeah… Edward called her Emily. I had to hurry and get Jake out of there before he hauled off and put him in the hospital when Edward kissed her."

A glass breaking had them all spinning around to see what had been broken. Bella stood frozen in place with tears in her eyes. "He cheated again?"

Allison was at the screen door in an instant. "What's going on boys?"

"Bells…" Jake sighed with a sad smile. "Come here honey." He said wrapping her into his arms.

She didn't dignify them with sobs, just let a couple tears roll down her cheeks. "He promised me he'd stop. He swore it only happened once and he said he was drunk when it happened." She muttered while Jacob guided her to the porch swing.

"Come on honey. It's not your fault." Quil said moving to kneel in front of her.

Bella sighed and wiped her cheeks. "I'm sorry about the glass Mrs. Uley." She muttered.

Allison only shook his head. "Never you mind about that. It's a glass. It'll be fine. Lets go get your face cleaned up now. Come on sweetheart." The older woman coaxed her from Jacob's protective arms with a smile.

Jared followed and returned with a broom and a dustpan minutes later. Paul only sighed. "So… that's not the first time huh. I guess I can see now why you two fought so much, Jake."

Jacob nodded his head. "I'll kick his ass again one of these days. Fucker doesn't deserve someone like Bella."

"For once, I can't help but agree, Jake." Embry sighed.

Sam only shook his head and wondered just why Emily now hung around with Edward Cullen and his friends. A flash of what his cousin had said to Edward entered his mind. He'd said they could have any girl they wanted. With a sigh, he sat back down on the porch and rested his back against the railing. It would be a long day and he wasn't about to try and pacify the group of boys around him. He was just as livid as they were, he just had a different way of dealing with it.


	6. Chapter 5

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5

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If I'm not the one thing you can't stand to lose  
If I'm not that arrow to the heart of you  
If you don't get drunk on my kiss  
If you think you can do better than this then I guess we're done  
Let's not drag this on  
Consider me gone

-Reba Macentire, Consider Me Gone

**(~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~)**

Bella sighed as she chopped the potatoes in front of her for dinner. It'd been little more than a week since she found out from Jacob and Quil that Edward had been kissing on another woman. Again. She'd stayed away from everyone since then- even Jacob, Quil and Embry. She'd told her dad she and Edward had gotten into a fight and if he came to the door to ask him to leave until she was ready to speak to him. Tonight, though, was unavoidable.

Before things had gotten turned upside down, she'd gone to the Uley's ranch to invite Sam and his family to dinner. Out of respect for what Bella had been going through, Allison had given her a week to come to terms with things. She'd run into Charlie at church, and like any good southern woman, offered up some of her home made pecan pie to help Bella feel better. That had prompted Bella to remind her dad that he'd invited them over for dinner. That was where she was now, fixing dinner. Rosemary herb roasted chicken and potatoes with green beans. It was one of her dad's favorite meals and she made it well.

With another sigh, she took a minute to pop her back and readjust the table top fan so it wouldn't blow onto the cooking food. Even with the screen doors open at the front and back and all the windows open in the house, the air had been stagnant in the kitchen. She shed her flannel print button down shirt in favor of a favorite spaghetti strap tank top to help keep her cool. She didn't like to wear it often without an over shirt because it clung to her like second skin and nine times out of ten gave Charlie a mini heart attack.

A knock on the front porch screen door pulled her from her thoughts. "Coming!" She called placing the knife down on the counter and grabbing a towel to wipe her hands.

Sam grinned when he saw her. "Hey Bella." He said trying hard to not stare at her body in the second skin covered top and cut off shorts.

"She lives!" Paul crowed. He smirked when she blushed.

"We got used to seeing you around- even if it was only when Embry was there- then you up and disappeared on us." He added with a pout.

Bella shook her head and tried not to grin. It didn't work. "Sorry guys.. I had a lot on my mind. Come on in, I've got to get dinner finished or we won't eat on time…" She said opening the door wider. "Where's your mom and dad?"

"Still at the house. Mom's making pie like she promised." Sam shrugged.

"Makes sense." Bella nodded.

Jared snorted. "She just wanted us out of her hair."

"So she sent you to me?" Bella wondered with an arched eyebrow.

"Not per say… we just figured we could help if you needed anything done still- if not, we'll at least keep you entertained." Paul grinned.

"You know… for us not running in the same circles growing up… you three are so much like Jake, Quil and Embry." She laughed.

"Well… Embry is our cousin…" Paul reminded her. "And we didn't want to see you so upset about the idiot anymore."

"I sometimes forget you guys are brothers… you two kept your last names.. And thanks... for offering to keep my mind off of things."

Jared shrugged. "Yeah.. Well… we were given the option to take Uley as a last name. I wanted to have something good to my last name.. and Paul… well…"

"I wanted to honor my dad." He said, leaving it at that.

Bella knew when to leave well enough alone. "Ok… kitchen is this way.. Lets get out from in front of the door… it blocks the air flow. My kitchen is hot enough already.. Not having air in there would damn near kill me…" She quipped.

"Bella?"

She froze, her eyes wide. She ignored the curious stares of her guests, turning to face her estranged boyfriend. "Hi Edward." She said watching the way his eyes hardened upon seeing Sam, Paul and Jared.

"I guess I can see now why you've been avoiding me. I came to talk. I can see that won't happen now." He sneered eying Sam, Paul and Jared behind her.

Bella took a small step back as if she'd been physically smacked. He had the gall to accuse HER of cheating? She bit her tongue to keep herself from laughing. Paul and Jared had to hold Sam back from going after him.

"They're here for dinner as guests of my dads, Edward. I'm sorry if you don't like that, but you weren't invited and they were. We'll have a chance to talk another night. If you'll excuse me, I need to go finish getting dinner ready." She said dismissing him.

"I don't believe that for a second, Bella. Your dad isn't even home!" He huffed.

Bella sighed. "Look, Edward, I've been avoiding you, I know. I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm not. I needed some time to think about a few things. When you're ready to tell me who Emily is to you, and when you're ready to be honest about who Lauren was to you.. And Tanya too… then we'll talk. Until then, I have dinner to get finished. You'll forgive me for not talking anymore."

"Bella…" He sounded annoyed with her.

Paul moved in front of Edward's view. "Listen and listen good, fucker. You may have money, but it won't be enough to buy you out of the ass whoopin' my brothers and I are fixin to dish out if you don't remove yourself from off this porch. I'd suggest you take your sorry excuse for a carcass away from here until Bella decides she wants you to come around again."

"Then again… if you'd rather stay, I'd be more than happy to teach you how to treat a woman." Jared all but growled.

Sam cracked his knuckles and arched an eyebrow. "Cheatin ain't one of the proper ways to treat 'em either, dip shit.."

Edward frowned and held his hands up, trying to placate him. "You tell Bella I'll be back later."

"No you won't. We'll still be here later. You don't want to see us pissed off at the same time. You've already seen Sam. Do you want to see Paul and I pissed as well?" Jared spat.

Edward had had enough. "As if you could do anything. My father would have your buried in seconds. All I have to do is call him. How would you feel knowing you cost your family their ranch. Oh wait… you don't have a family. Poor Jared… beaten daily by a drunkard who then killed himself after leaving you motherless…"

Sam saw red. He was out the door with a bang and in seconds had his hand around Edward's shirt collar to draw him closer. He barely registered Bella calling his name.

"Go ahead big boy… dare you to hit me." Edward hissed. His false bravado astounded even him.

"Hey boys… come on now, break it up now!" Charlie said, his voice quiet but firm. Sam wondered when he'd gotten there.

"You listen, and you listen you pansy ass son of a bitch. You can come after me all you want. You go after my family like that again and I'll put your ass under in three seconds flat. Don't. fuck. With my family. You get me?" Sam growled.

Charlie arched an eyebrow and put a hand on Sam's arm. "Come on son… let him go." He coaxed.

Sam glared for a few more minutes before sneering and dropping Edward. "Sorry chief."

"Just go on inside, Sam. We'll talk in a few minutes. I think Bella is upset can you calm her down some? Come on now…let him go son."

"Yes sir." Sam finally said before walking in the house without a backwards glance.

Charlie sighed and shook his head. "Edward… I've known that boy since he was knee high to a grasshopper ridin' on that tire swing still in my front yard. Whatever you've done to insult him doesn't bode well for the mess you're already in with my daughter. I suggest you take yourself on home now… think on what happened. I don't want fights takin' place on my property again. You respect Bella's friends or you keep that mouth of yours shut, get me?"

Edward bit his tongue and clenched his jaw. His eyes narrowed when he saw Jared and Paul doubled over laughing. "Of course, sir." He said before leaving.

Charlie only sighed and looked at Paul and Jared who leaned against the side of the house. "Boys… y'all goin in the house?"

"Wanted to give Sam and Bella some time. He kinda ticked her off I think. Didn't wanna see him getting his tail handed to him." Paul shrugged.

Charlie nodded. "Smart man. Alright, come on inside now. Your folks called. They'll be here soon."

Charlie poked his head into the kitchen and grinned. Sam had his arms around Bella while she ranted into his chest how much of an idiot he was.

Charlie didn't know she'd been ranting about Edward while Sam eased her frazzled nerves. "Everything ok?"

Bella sighed. "Fine dad. It's fine."

(~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~)

Bella rested her head on Sam's shoulder where they sat on the porch swing. Paul and Jared sat with their backs to the porch railing. "I'm sorry you guys had to deal with Edward."

Sam shook his head. "He'll learn."

"Speak of the devil." Jared said nodding his head towards the driveway.

Bella sighed. "Edward, why are you back?"

"I want to speak to Sam, if I may." He sneered.

"Edward… please?" Bella sighed.

"You're defend them? Isn't it bad enough you have to hang around those other idiots? Now you've added three more to the list!" He snapped.

Paul watched Bella closed her eyes, clench her teeth and ball her fists tight. He couldn't wait for the day she forgot what being a lady meant and just went off on him. Embry had told him that she had a temper to her once or twice. He looked forward to seeing how well she could throw a punch.

Sam stood and moved to the porch railing. "What do you want copper top?" He asked.

"Pretty boy is a better name…" Jared muttered.

Paul snorted. "Nah… bitch is a better one."

"Cute.." He retorted.

Sam rolled his eyes. "If it fits… now what do you want?"

"I want you to stay away from my girlfriend! She's mine. She's already seen whoring around with enough rednecks. I don't want my reputation tarnished in town just because she chooses to be seen around trash." He huffed.

"EXCUSE YOU?!" Bella hissed. Jared put a calming hand on her shoulder to keep her in place. The last thing she needed was to attack him on just the provocation of his words- cutting as they were.

"How do I know you're not sleeping with one of them, Bella? Huh? Maybe that's why they're still here. Your dad leave for work yet? You gonna invite them up to your room? What about Jacob and his friends? They gonna come over too? No? well then send them home. Dinner is over, you're always finished by 7. It's an hour past, yet there they are."

Paul's jaw dropped in shock. "You're one dumb mother fucker…" He mused before standing.

Bella shook her head. "Is that what you think, Edward?"

"I don't know what to think about it anymore!" He sighed.

"You're delusional. I'll tell you right now. Get your act together, or don't come back after tonight. I'm so tired of feeling like this." She said before turning away from him. She didn't want him to see her tears.

"Jay… you may wanna stay inside with Bella. I'll be in in a second. Gotta take the garbage out first." Sam mused.

Jared sighed. "Come on Bella. You don't need to hear this." He said, coaxing her into the house and closed the door behind him. He would ask about it later. For now, the one thing he knew to do was distract Bella. After the tongue lashing Edward had given her, she needed it.

It took five minutes before he got a hint of a smile from her and ten minutes after that before he got a watery chuckle. She waved him away when he asked her if she was alright. She didn't want him to see her tears but it didn't stop him from pulling her into his side.

"Kim's lucky." Bella pouted.

"How so?"

"Because you're not afraid of seeing a woman cry." She shrugged.

Jared mimicked her. "Yeah, well… Kim subjects me to chick flicks. I'm used to it." He teased.

"Thanks Jared. I know we didn't run in the same circles growing up, but you're a good friend."

Jared grinned. "It's nothing. Just remember, you do have friends. Don't let the dbag pull you down Bella."

Bella only giggled. Maybe the night could be salvaged yet.


	7. Chapter 6

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6

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It's man to man  
Toe to toe  
You know we need to go  
We're all here for a good time  
But don't start no trouble  
'Cause it won't be the first time  
I put a scar on my knuckles 

-Brantley Gilbert, Take It Outside

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Bella grumbled and reached for her phone. The ringing brought thoughts to the forefront of her brain about ways the shrill contraption would meet its demise. With another huff, the alarm was shut off and her eyes closed before she was once again cocooned in the warmth of her covers.

The next time she woke up, it was to the snickers and whispers of whoever was brave enough to invade her personal space. She cracked an eye open to glare, only to sit up in shock. It wasn't just one or two people like she thought originally. That she could have handled. Instead, there were six guys in her room- three of which happened to be her best friends.

"Here." Embry said shoving a cup of coffee into her hands as he sat next to her by the head of her bed.

Bella inhaled and sighed in delight. "French vanilla with hazelnut creamer… mmm." An appreciative groan left her lips after she took a sip, causing one of the occupants in the room to shift his stance. "God… you're so amazing!"

"It's just coffee, Bells." Quil teased.

Bella glared. "You **do** want kids right?"

"Damn woman! What's got you so cranky?" Jacob wondered.

She only rolled her eyes and cuddled up to Embry. "Shut it." Jared's eyebrows furrowed in confusion before he saw Quil and Jacob roll their eyes.

"Fluff bunny." Quil teased. Embry glared.

Bella shook her head. "Do you want me to take your collar and leash out, little puppy?" She cooed.

"You didn't destroy it like I asked you?!" He whined, his face paling. Jacob only chuckled.

Paul huffed. "Can the rest of the room play catch up please?"

"No!" Quil snapped.

Bella merely smirked. "An ex of Quil's tried to get him into bondage. Apparently she liked that kind of thing. I spared the leash and collar she gave him from the incinerator. The funny thing is, she was sweet and quiet during school… wore her skirts the proper length... always had her shirts all the way buttoned up… always had her hair, nails and makeup neat... just overall put together. Outside of school she was a **completely** different person."

Sam grinned. "It's always the quiet ones…" He mused, finally speaking.

"Is that right?" Bella mused with an arched eyebrow before finally climbing from underneath the covers.

Sam gulped when he saw what she had worn to sleep. He wondered if she could even consider her outfit suitable pajamas. Her sleep shorts stopped just below the curve of her rounded bubble butt. Her sleep top showed off an inch of light tanned skin along her waist and was cut low enough that he had to advert his eyes lest he see something to make him embarrass himself.

Satisfied with his reaction, Bella gathered her clothes and flounced out of the room. Jacob, Quil and Embry let out barks of laughter after she left while Sam stood speechless. Jared and Paul only shook their heads. There was no sexual tension between the two. None at all.

"Damn she's grown." Sam whined.

Jacob snorted. "That was done on purpose, my friends."

Jared was floored. "She didn't learn that in Florida did she?"

"From her mom?" Quil checked.

"Isn't that where she lives now?" Paul asked.

"Who.. Renee? Hell no! Her mom spent her time on the beach when Bella went to visit during summer breaks. It's one of the reasons Bella doesn't like it so much anymore." Jacob shrugged.

"Too much sand." Embry and Quil intoned together.

Paul only shook his head. "Someone taught her that. There's no way Charlie would teach his daughter how to flirt like that. He'd rather be cleanin' a gun first." He mused.

Embry shrugged. "Jessica or Angela maybe… possibly Kim." He said.

Jared forgot sometimes that Kim and Bella talked every once in a while. They had been good friends before she was placed into private school- at the expense of her step father's paychecks. He shook his head. "Still not fair, huh Sam?"

"Sam?" Embry rolled his eyes. His cousin stood staring at the door way lost inside his head.

"Sam!" Paul smirked when he jumped.

"What?" Sam huffed, annoyance dancing in his eyes.

Bella chose that moment to come back into her room. Sam's jaw closed with an audible snap. Her jeans clung to her every curve and enhanced the perfect bubble butt she once again decided to show off to everyone. Her shirt clung like a second skin and was low cut but still somehow tasteful. Sam only shook his head and released a quiet groan of frustration. It would be a long day.

"So should we do today?" Bella wondered as she brushed her hair.

Embry arched an eyebrow. "Did you forget it's Saturday?"

"Huh?"

Jacob grinned. "Bonfire, Bells. Bonfire night."

"Oh… yeah… I guess I did kind of forget!" She grinned.

"We thought you were gonna sleep right through till tomorrow morning." Quil teased.

She rolled her eyes. "I was just tired. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night. The whole Edward thing had my mind working overtime."

"You gonna break up with him?" Jacob asked with a hopeful tone.

Bella sighed. "Not sure."

"Bells!" Embry whined.

Sam had to agree with his cousin. Edward didn't deserve her.

"Lets just see what happens? Ok? I still love him you guys… even if he is an asshat sometimes." Bella sighed. "Now can we not talk about him anymore. I wanna go out for a while and have fun!"

"You're the boss, boss." Quil grinned.

"Ok puppy." She smirked.

Quil only sighed. "You'll never let me live that one down, will you?" He huffed.

(~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~)

Bella couldn't believe it. The nerve of him. She only shook her head and sighed. As long as he stayed where he was, she'd have no reason to talk to him. None of her friends had seen Edward yet. He had technically crashed the party- something none of her friends would be happy about if they saw him there. Bella only shook her head again as Edward kissed the girls sitting in his lap, alternating from one to the other.

She knew now, judging by the way he kept looking her way that Edward did it on purpose. He had been trying to get a rise out of her. This would end one of two ways: she'd get up and leave, or she'd go confront him and end things. Leaving looked like the better option. She was a relatively private person and hated people knowing her business. She'd opt to leave and hash it out with a smaller audience in the morning. After she'd gotten her revenge anyways. She knew he was out to prove some kind of point- even if there was no point to prove.

"Sam, what's wrong?" Paul asked.

Sam shook his head. "Hold my beer." He asked.

Paul nodded and watched him walk over to sit next to Bella on the log she'd been using as a seat. He only smirked. "Some things never change." He muttered.

"What's up with Sam?" Jared asked.

"He's chasing after Bella." Paul shrugged.

Jared snorted. "You gave him vodka didn't you?"

"He needed a tiny bit of courage, that's all." Paul defended himself. "Besides, can you give me one good reason why they're not good together?"

Jared shrugged. "I didn't say a word." He mused.

Sam sighed and sat down beside Bella. "Hey loca. What's got you sitting all alone?"

"Hey Sam. I'm just thinking." She lied.

"Don't bullshit the bullshitter babe." He teased. "I've watched him since he got here. I hate seeing you like this too. And that's on him by the way." He added.

Bella smiled and wiped her eyes. "I'm just so frustrated. I mean… I love him... at least I think I still love him. Ugh... look at me... I'm crying like some sappy little girl…kind of pathetic huh?"

Sam hugged her to him. "He's an ass Bella. Plain and simple. He doesn't deserve you at all."

"Don't say that Sam. He has his good moments." She tried to tell him.

Sam didn't believe her. "Every man does. Does that mean he should get away with what he's doing to you now? No. I mean, you're still dating- technically. It says a lot for his character if he's gonna do this after just one little fight.. Besides, you can't tell me you're not plotting something for revenge. You're patient… but you're not THAT patient. I know one of your best friends, remember?" He teased.

Bella rested her head on his shoulder, secretly loving the way his shirt clung to his every muscle on his torso. She inhaled his old spice cologne and fought to keep herself from drooling. She didn't know where the feelings had come from, but she found herself wanting to explore them and even being alright with said developing feelings. "I guess you might have a point." She conceded.

Sam put his arm around her and let her scoot closer. "Might?"

Bella's next words were cut off as Sam's face whipped to the side and they were both knocked off the log they'd been using as a bench. Sam was quick to get up and help Bella to her feet, checking her over for injuries before turning to see James standing in front of him with a smirk on his lips. Edward stood smirking behind him as well. So that's how he wanted to play.

"Boy, you're fucking stupid if you didn't learn your lesson last time." Sam spat.

"Last time I didn't know how you fought. This time I know better than to let you get warmed up first. A cheap shot is still a shot. And your ass still fell." James reasoned.

Sam shook his head. "You ok Bella?" He asked running his hand down her arm.

"I'm alright. It's just a few scratches. Don't fight Sam.. y'all have drinking and I'm sure this is just what they want… it's not worth it." She tried to coax him away knowing that's what would happen anyways.

Paul and Jared pulled her away, careful of the scrapes down her arm. Sam handed her his hat. "Hold this for me?" He loved her patience- she could rival a saint- but some things just needed to be handled the old fashioned way.

Bella bit her lip and nodded. She spotted Jacob, Quil and Embry behind Paul and Jared and moved to stand next to them. She wasn't going to say anything else.

James got two more hits in before Sam landed a solid punch to his solar plexus, knocking the air from his lungs. Another punch to his jaw had him falling to the ground. Sam fought back the laughter when Edward threw a flimsy punch to his stomach. It hurt some- he wasn't a complete girl-, Edward had some muscle to him, but he lacked control. They made it too easy.

"I told you to stay. away. From my. Girlfriend!" Edward growled. "I warned you that you would regret hanging around her all the time. Bella isn't yours!"

Jared leaned over to Paul. "Is he serious right now?"

"Maybe. He acts like Sam is trying to steal Bella." Paul shrugged.

Jared snorted. "He doesn't need to steal her away. Bella started hanging out with us willingly." He mused. Paul only smirked.

Sam threw a punch to Edward's stomach, catching him in his belly. Edward gasped in pain before falling. He rose to his knees and coughed, trying to catch his breath. Sam smirked and knelt beside him close enough that he could talk without being overheard. "And I told you, fucker. Don't mess with my family. I should have included friends in that too. Fuck with Bella's emotions again and I'll end you. I swear."

Sam walked over to Bella and placed his hat on her head before taking her hand. "Come sit with us?"

Bella smiled and nodded. "Alright."

Embry shook his head and looked at Edward and James laying on the ground. He shook his head and left them where they were. After all, trash would get picked up before they left.

He watched his cousin and his best friend for the better part of an hour after the 'fight' if it could even be called one. He couldn't even call it fair- James had to get a cheap shot in just to knock Sam down and Sam took Edward out in two hits. He shook his head and sighed. Sam and Bella were in a world of their own. Where she moved, he followed. He could only hope they'd get closer. They were good together. He just had to make them see that too.


	8. Chapter 7

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7

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You ain't worth another sleepless night  
And I'll do everything I gotta do to get you off my mind  
Cause what you wanted I couldn't give

What you did boy, I'll never forget

-Cassadee Pope, Wasted All These Tears

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Bella sighed and ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. She'd gotten a part time job at the library in town and now started to regret it. It seemed everyone had come in today just to see how she'd been fairing. Rumors had been circulating for the past three weeks. She was only too thankful that Edward wasn't talking to her. The day after the bonfire she'd left him standing open mouthed in the middle of his driveway where she'd handed him a cardboard box filled with the ashes of every picture, stuffed animal, letter and trinket he'd ever given her. The last thing she returned was the gold locket he'd given her the past Christmas. Inside, his picture was destroyed beyond repair. And hers was gone.

_ 'Edward had left her because she wouldn't sleep with him. Edward had tried to force himself on her and when she defended herself, he left her saying she wasn't worth the time. Edward had been secretly hitting her and Charlie had found out about it. Edward had cheated on her with not one but six women- at the same time.' _

The last was the worst. Bella learned rumors had started to spread saying she was pregnant. She could only guess who had started those.

"Bella? You ok sweetie?"

Bella smiled. "I'm ok Mrs. Arlene. Just having a bad day."

Arlene nodded in understanding. "You keep your head held high. Don't let the rumors get to you."

"How'd you guess?"

"It's a small town sweetheart. It's not hard to hear the gossip. But if I know you, then I know they're false. And they're doing nothing to paint that ex of yours into a decent light if you ask me. What he did… that boy has a lot to learn in order to be a man." Arlene grizzled.

Bella smiled. "I'd say I'm not surprised he's being shunned right now, but I don't think it bothers him too much." She shrugged.

"Oh it does. More than you know. Doc Cullen is just as annoyed with him as you are my dear. If the book club ladies are to be believed, Edward has been toeing the line more and more and doc Cullen is about fed up with him. So don't you worry that sweet little head of yours too awful much." Arlene said with a wink.

"Thanks, Mrs. Arlene." Bella said with a smile. Their talk had made her feel better. At least until two people walked into the library. One of them wore shock- maybe some guilt- the other wore a triumphant smirk. Bella only let out a quiet sigh before placing a smile on her face.

Arlene nodded in approval and turned to face the girls as well. "Hello Lauren, Emily. It's good to see you girls spending your time reading."

Lauren's smile was false. "We're not here to read today, Mrs. Arlene. I'm returning a book for my mom. Hi Bella."

Bella smiled and took the book from Lauren. "Hey. Is this all then?"

"Of course. Could you hurry though? Emily has a date tonight. Edward promised to take her down by the docks on Ten Mile Bay. Oh… I'm sorry… I forgot you two broke up recently! How silly of me."

Emily winced. "Lauren, don't start anything right now."

Bella smiled. "It's fine Lauren. Emily, I'm happy he's got you. Your better suited for him."

Emily's eyes hardened. "What does THAT mean?"

"Now now, girls. This is a library. I'm sure Bella didn't mean anything by it. Take it as a compliment and go please. Your detracting from my business." Arlene said in a stern tone.

Bella sighed when they flounced out the door. "Good riddance." She mused.

"Go on home girl. I'll be alright. You need to take some time to relax. Stressing out like this isn't good for you. Never you mind what people say. You know what you know, and they know what they THINK. Don't let their words run you into the ground. You take that advice to heart." Arlene said, giving her hand a gentle pat.

Bella smiled at the woman. She reminded her of her grandma Swan before she'd passed away. "I'll see you tomorrow." With a grin, she got into her car and headed home.

Confusion danced across her face when she saw Camden and Cadence and Sam's horse, Major in her front yard. Laughter met her ears as soon she was on the front steps. That was definitely Sam, Paul and Jared. And her dad? Why had he come home so early?

Bella shook her head and sighed. "Hey, dad.. Where are you?"

"In here Bells." Charlie called.

Bella gasped when she saw him. "DAD! Oh geez… what happened?!"

"It's nothing serious. Doc Cullen already looked at it for me Bells." Charlie soothed. His right foot was propped up on the table and bandaged. It resembled a mummy's foot with as tight as the bandages were. The area she could see was bruised and his ankle was swollen still.

"What. Happened?" She huffed.

Paul sighed. "Your dad pulled Edward over today…"

"It wasn't Edward though." Jared quipped.

Sam rolled his eyes. He could see Bella getting angrier by the second. Deciding to tell her, consequences be damned, he patted the seat next to him. "Edward let James borrow his car. Your dad pulled him over for speeding and James drove off running over his foot in the process. We saw it and helped him get back here before calling Doc Cullen. We only just got here a few minutes ago."

Bella shook her head. "Unbelievable! What's gonna be done to him?!"

"Bella… calm down honey… it'll be alright. He's paying a hefty fine and his license was suspended." Charlie told her. "I'll be fine in a couple days. Nothing is broken, just swollen right now."

Bella narrowed her eyes. "I'm going to cook!" She huffed.

The four watched her walk away before Charlie shook his head. "Is it sad that I find that amusing?" He wondered.

Paul, Sam and Jared shrugged. They all grew up in the same town yes, but they'd never gotten to know her the way Jacob, Quil and Embry had. She'd attached herself to them from the start since they were close in age. It didn't mean that Sam had never taken an interest in her.. he'd even had a crush on her before she left for private school. He'd never cared that she was two years younger, she'd always been mature for her age.

And now, seeing her so upset… he cleared his throat. "I'm gonna go say bye.."

Charlie gave him a knowing look. The look that said he'd better watch himself with the Chief's only daughter. "Keep it simple." He warned.

"Yes sir."

Paul and Jared snickered but headed outside to wait none the less. Sam leaned on the door frame and watched as Bella moved through the kitchen. It was a choreographed dance that only she knew the steps to and had him awed as he watched her. He felt just slightly bad for invading her space.

"Hey Bella." He grinned when she squeaked.

Bella whirled around to face him with a hand over her heart. "Sam… you spooked me. Make some noise would you?!"

Sam grinned and pushed himself off of the door jam. "Sorry Bella. Didn't mean to spook ya." He promised.

She smiled and showed him her backside once more as she started cooking again. "Can I get you something?" She asked after a minute of quiet.

"No… just wanted to see how you're doin…" Some of the rumors he'd heard about her lately had been brutal.

Bella smiled. "I'm… I'll be alright." She promised, turning to face him. She drew the corner of her bottom lip between her teeth and Sam had to look away for a second.

"So you'll come to the bonfire with me tonight then?" He wondered.

Bella was shocked. "You sure you want someone pregnant there?" She huffed.

"That's the latest one?" He asked with a roll of his eyes. "You should know by now, people are gonna talk. It's cheap. Bella, don't let a few nasty rumors detract from the fact that you should be having fun. Last year before you start college. Enjoy it…" He grinned.

They'd been moving closer to one another as they spoke. Bella inhaled the cologne he wore and bit back the whimper that threatened to escape her lips. "Ok."

"yeah?"

She grinned. "I'll be there."

Paul shook his head when Sam walked out grinning like a fool. "Good news?"

"We'll see tonight." Sam shrugged.

Jared shook his head but chose not to comment. He stayed silent as he wished Sam the best of luck. Bella was good for him. And in a lot of ways, he was good for her.

(~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~)

Embry rolled his eyes when Sam paced by him again. He nudged Jacob and Quil and smirked when they snickered. By the time Sam came back over to them they had started shaking with laughter. Sam huffed and tried to glare. He couldn't though when he saw Bella walking over to them finally.

"Hey guys… sorry… the truck wouldn't start. I had to have dad jump it." She explained.

Jacob sobered instantly. "You want me to look at it tomorrow?"

"Would you?"

Jacob, Quil and Embry rolled their eyes. "You have to ask?" Quil wondered.

Bella flipped him off and turned to see Sam staring at her. She grinned inwardly. "Hey Sam.."

Sam's eyes roved over her from head to toe and back up again. Her tiny feet had been encased in a pair of black faux snake skin boots.. Her long light tanned legs were framed by a pair of second skin jeans that clung to her every curve and sat low on her waist.. The halter top she wore that showed off just an inch or two of her toned stomach. He moved up her body to see her hair pulled into a pony tail on the side of her head at the base of her neck. The last touch was the black cowboy hat she sported. Even her make up- light as it was- made her look more gorgeous than she was already to him.

"Sam?"

Embry shook his head. "Hey Sam!"

"Huh?" His head shot towards his cousin causing Embry, Jacob and Quil to nearly roll out of their fold out chairs. He rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to Bella.

"Hey Sam." She said giving him a sheepish smile.

He grinned. "Hey gorgeous. You finally shedding the sweet and innocent cops daughter image?" He teased moving to give her a hug.

Embry sat stunned. had his cousin… initiated contact and flirted? With Bella?

She returned the hug with one of her own. "I'm not the gorgeous one. That title has to go to you tonight. And sorry to disappoint, but I'm ALWAYS innocent. It's you who's the bad guy…"

It was Jacob's turn to stare in shock. Bella never flirted… not that she had been an obvious flirt, but she'd gone out of her way to talk to him… he stared in awe at the sight. She liked him and he had just figured it out for himself.

"I'm not disappointed you know…just means I get to corrupt you later." He told her giving her a wink and an orgasm inducing grin. "Come on… come say hi to Paul and Jake."

Bella licked her dry lips and nodded. "Yeah… um… ok.. Just uh.. Save me a spot? I'm gonna talk to Jake for a sec…"

Sam chuckled and kissed her cheek. "Sure." He said before sauntering back over to his brothers.

Bella sat down beside her friends in an unoccupied chair and sighed. "Well… its official…"

Quil smirked. "What's that Bella?"

"I'm screwed." She whined.

Embry shook his head. "I don't see the problem you know.. You like him… he likes you… what's so bad about it?"

"I don't want to drag him into the drama right now between Edward and I…" She huffed.

Jacob scoffed. "Fuck that pencil pushing dipshit. Bella, its his name runnin through the mud. Not yours."

"You wanna see Sam with a pregnant chick?" She mused.

Bella had never seen three grown boys go speechless so fast. She arched an eyebrow and grinned. "That's the latest rumor. Edward left me because I cheated on him and got pregnant." She shrugged.

Embry huffed. "That was NOT cool Bella. NOT funny at all!"

"Oh I thought it was hilarious." A voice behind them sounded.

Bella sighed and rolled her eyes. "Why are you here, Edward? Lauren told me today you planned to take Emily to Ten Mile Bay tonight…" She didn't even bother turning around to look at him.

"He did… he decided to come here after…"

"You seemed to have moved on rather fast." Jacob mused. "Did you get her pregnant too? You know she'll just kill the baby and skip town if she is."

Emily squeaked with indignity. "How DARE you! You know nothing about me you jackass! I was too young to have a baby! I didn't WANT to be tied down that early!"

Bella closed her eyes to reign in her temper. "Ok.. Well I'm going to find Sam… you guys have a good night." She told her friends.

Emily huffed. "Does he know you're pregnant yet?" She called.

Bella noticed heads started to turn and all but shot fire from her eyes towards the couple when she turned to face her. "I'm not pregnant. I'm not ready for a child right now and I won't put myself into that position. Unlike SOME people I have enough sense to protect myself." She spat, her voice quiet.

Emily growled. "What does THAT mean?"

"Just what I said. I have enough sense in my head to not put myself in the position to take an innocent life.. Out of spite no less." Bella said as she shrugged.

Emily's nostril's flared as her temper grew. She forgot about the growing crowd which included Bella's three best friends- all of them guys- and Sam and his brothers. Her left hand flew and connected with the skin of Bella's cheek. By the time she realized she had thrown the first hit, Bella's fist had made contact with her nose. Another one followed just as quick, connecting with her stomach forcing the wind from her lungs. She fell to the ground coughing, trying to suck as much air in as possible.

"Next time you come at me like that, Emily, make sure I'm not in the mood to fight. I'll kick your ass from here to hell and back again. Now leave me the fuck alone. I don't give a rats ass if your gold digger ass wants Edward. You can HAVE him! I'm done." She growled, her fist connecting to Emily's cheek again after she had stood to face her.

Sam pulled Bella away before she could follow Emily to the ground to continue to hit her while Jacob picked up her hat dusting it off for her. She'd only ever shown the 'fighting' side of her twice before and hated herself afterwards nine times out of ten. She'd be guilty as hell come dawn. Sam was floored. He knew she could shoot a gun, he knew she could ride a horse, he knew she could play football, baseball, basketball and most other sports… he did NOT know she could throw a punch that well.

"Damn girl.." He finally sighed. "You throw one hell of a left hook." He mused.

Bella huffed. "She shouldn't have hit me!" She glared.

"Come on… come sit down, let me look at your hand." He coaxed.

Her friends were quick to follow leaving Edward to stand over Emily staring after Bella in shock. He'd never seen that side of her. He didn't even know she could fight and he found it an intoxicating sight. Maybe he'd been too rash when he left her. He sighed and helped Emily stand while his eyes remained trained on Bella. He'd have to find a way to get her alone to talk.

Bella sighed but let him lead her to his truck, smiling when he helped her sit on the tailgate. "It's fine Sam, just a few- ow!" She hissed when used an iodine wipe to clean the scrapes with.

"You'll survive." He teased, laughing when she pouted.

Jacob shook his head. "Well Bells, when you do it, you do it big, huh." He teased watching Sam bandage her hand.

She rolled her eyes. "She deserved it. I merely defended myself… surely you all saw her attack me for no reason." She said with innocent eyes.

"And THAT ladies and gents is how she gets away with so much." Quil huffed.

Embry only smirked when he saw the look in Sam's eyes. He knew his cousin was more attracted to her now than he already had been and he prayed things worked out for them before they all started their fall classes. "Come on… lets head back. It looks like Edward, Lauren and Emily just left. The coast should be clear."

They nodded and made their way back to the bonfire hoping nothing else would ruin the night.


	9. Chapter 8

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8

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Somebody said them city boys  
Ridin' around lookin' for some trouble  
If they bring it 'cross that county line  
You know there's gonna be a rumble

-Brantley Gilbert, Small Town Throwdown

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Sam sighed and watched the clouds rolling in overhead. It had been threatening to rain for the last three days now and he looked forward to a few hours of rest. He, Paul and Jared had been mending fences and working with the horses on the ranch since they'd woken up earlier in the day.

"So Sam…"

Sam rolled his eyes. "Here we go." He quipped.

Jared arched an eyebrow. "Anyways… have you talked to Bella?"

Paul snorted. "I heard them on the phone last night. Man, you've got it bad."

"Will you two just drop it. What's got you so vested in my love life anyways?" He grizzled.

Jared grinned. "Because we want to see you happy for once?"

"Because she's good for you? I mean… you saw the left hook she threw! Who the hell knew the cop's daughter could even throw a punch that well?" Paul grinned.

Sam snorted. "Paul… she's the chief's daughter… she's known how to shoot a gun since she was ten or something… she hangs out with Jake, Quil and Embry… plays sports… loves football and she happens to know how to ride a horse better than both of you combined… do you find it that hard to believe that she can throw a punch?"

Jared smirked. "You know an awful lot about her all of a sudden."

"You're completely missing my point." He quipped with a roll of his eyes.

Paul snorted. "Getting defensive are we?"

"Hey guys!" A voice said from behind them, sparing Paul and Jared from the tirade Sam had been about to unleash on them.

They turned to see Jacob, Embry and Quil walking up to them with none other than the object of their discussion following behind them. She was absorbed in a book she held in her hands and Sam couldn't help but grin.

"Hey, guys. Momma Uley send you out to help us?" Paul asked hooking a piece of fence to the new post he'd just put into the ground.

Sam grinned. Paul had told him once he had felt weird calling Allison mom sometimes. So, upon taking his advice, he'd sat down with her and together they'd come up with the name Momma Uley. He still used it sometimes out of habit even though most of the time he called Allison mom these days. "You three gonna help or did you just come to watch and be obnoxious?"

Jacob shrugged, holding a hand out to stop Bella before she ran into Embry. "We found a book worm and dragged her out of hiding." He quipped. "We figured the fresh air would do her some good. She's been sitting in her room with her nose in a book all morning long so far."

Bella glared at him and when he turned away from her, she seized the opportunity and smacked him in the arm with her book. Satisfied with his painful wince, she went back to reading leaving Quil and Embry rolling with peals of laughter. Even Sam had to chuckle.

"Hey Bella." He greeted.

Her hair hid her cheeks thankfully or he would have noticed the blush she sported. "Hey Sam."

"How's your hand?" He wondered.

She held up her bandaged left hand for him to see. "I only busted my knuckles up bit. Emily has a bony chin I guess." She shrugged.

Quil rolled his eyes. "No… that's just your luck. Even punching someone, you're bound to hurt yourself."

"Do I need to hit you too?" She threatened.

His eyes went wide and he took a step back. "Nope, I'm good."

"Mmhm…" Bella smirked. "That's what I thought."

He huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "So mean!"

"No, Quil. Me being mean would have been me patting your head and saying good boy."

It was Jacob's turn to laugh with Embry. Quil only huffed. "Man I'm never gonna live that down am I?"

"Someday." She shrugged. She walked over to a near by tree and sat at the base of it while Jacob, Quil and Embry proceeded to help Sam, Paul and Jared. Allison had promised them desert if they did help not that they needed to know that had been their motivation to lend a hand in the first place.

It took them two hours to fix the stretch of fence that had, just the day before, been leaning. In that two hour stretch, the sun had re-emerged from behind the clouds with a vengeance. Like most boys their age were prone to do, they had lost their shirts when they'd gotten too hot. They thought nothing of it, but Bella was on the verge of orgasm from the gorgeous sight it brought to her eyes.

"Thanks for the help guys. We have to go get cleaned up before mom has another fit over us being late to lunch again like last week." Paul said when they were finally finished.

Embry laughed. "You're kidding right? Aunt Allison promised she'd save some desert for us- that's what convinced us to help you. I'd maybe walk over burning coals for her pie." He joked.

Sam only nodded. He looked over to Bella to see her still reading and sighed. "Y'all go on back. I'll grab Bella."

Jacob only shook his head. "He's got it bad…"

"I heard that!" Sam huffed.

Quil snorted. "You were meant to hear that!" He called.

Sam raised his left hand and lowered all but his middle finger in reply. Paul and Jared guffawed before pulling Quil and Jacob along behind them, Embry in the rear giving his friends an extra shove to get them moving.

Bella swallowed and tried to keep her breathing calm when Sam stopped in front of her. She pretended to ignore him until his shadow fell over the pages of her book when the wind moved the tree branches just the right way. She finally looked up at him and froze. He was gorgeous. Muddy boots, dusty jeans, no shirt, a cowboy hat on his head and sweat dripping off of his skin with the sun at his back.

She must have been dreaming.

"Can I help you?" She finally asked, trying hard to keep her voice steady.

Sam grinned. "It's time to go in, lunch is about ready." He told her offering her a hand to stand.

"You guys done already?" She wondered taking the offered hand.

She squealed when he pulled her up too quick for her liking. He caught her before she could fall by wrapping his arms around her waist with a grin on his lips. Her book lay abandoned on the ground and her hands went to rest on his broad shoulders. His broad, bare shoulders.

"Don't think for a second I don't know you sat there watching us more than reading that book of yours, sweetheart." He all but purred with his lips against the shell of her ear.

Bella inhaled, regretting it as soon as she did. He smelled like sweat, spice, pine and dirt. A shiver raced down her spine as she looked up at him. The things running through her mind at the moment just may have been enough for her father to chain her to a bed and place a chastity belt on her for good measure.

"Hey guys! You comin?!"

They moved apart quick enough to appear marginally guilty and turned to see Embry walking back towards them. Sam looked at her over his shoulder and gave her a wink before walking off toward his truck. Bella let out a shuddering breath and picked up her forgotten book before following after him.

(~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~)

"Thanks for bailing me out of the house guys. I'm convinced my dad's master plan is to drive me insane before I leave for college!" Jacob sighed.

Bella only rolled her eyes. "Your dad is worried that you're out causing mayhem in the streets. Of course he's going to keep you home a lot this summer! It's his last chance to try and get it through that thick skull of yours that you are in fact 18 now. Legally… you can be tried as an adult!" She huffed shaking her head with an amused smile on her lips.

Jacob rolled his eyes while Quil and Embry snickered. Bella treated them all like an older sister sometimes. If it suited her, she became a partner in crime at others. Right now, she chose to be an older sister as they made their way towards Nashville- a city 15 minutes by car from their small town of Alapaha.

Bella had her head resting on Embry's shoulder while Quil drove. She loved leaning on him. He was the most comfortable out of all of her friends. She told him often enough but it never seemed to bug him too much.

"We're goin through the cane maze right?" Quil grinned when they parked the car.

Bella chuckled. "Do you think you'll grow up sometime soon, Quil?"

"I hope not! I'd cry.. I think." He chuckled causing Jacob and Embry to roll their eyes.

Bella shook her head and pulled her phone out to take a picture of them. She did it whenever they weren't looking and got some amazing pictures of them each time. Embry saw at the last minute and turned his head causing Bella to pout.

"Did she take a picture again?" Quil wondered having heard a camera click. Bella merely grinned.

Embry nodded. "Yeah, but that's not what we have to worry about right now. Trouble followed us." Embry said jerking his head towards someone behind him.

Jacob sighed. "The hell do they want?"

"Just ignore them… we're not home right now… city police are a tad more strict than my dad is and I only have so much weight I can pull if one of you gets into a fight." Bella tried. She didn't want to tell them that they'd been followed since they left town- it didn't bother her, but the boys were in the mood for a fight and THAT did worry her.

Quil sighed and presented his back to her. "I can't make any promises." He told her as she hopped onto his back. He'd promised her a ride and she was only too happy to take one right now. At least one of them wouldn't be able to fight.

Ten minutes before they left the maze and Bella's wish for a peaceful night went up in flames. Their follower finally made his presence known. It was high school all over again.

"Black! I have a bone to pick with your pansy ass!"

Jacob's jaw clenched and his hands balled into fists before he pushed the anger away.

"Come on Jake… ignore it. He just wants attention." Embry instructed.

"You'd know all about that wouldn't you, Call. I'm sure the guys from the football team would love to have your attention again."

Quil looked over his shoulder at Embry with a worried frown. They'd all done well to squash the rumors in school that Embry was gay. Just because he didn't fool around and respected women was no reason to believe he didn't like women. He and Jake both knew that his first crush had in fact been Bella. She was the first girl he'd ever gotten off thinking about (He'd been mortified afterwards and had never told her) but he had more respect for women partly because he'd been raised by a single mom.

The muscles in his neck rippled as he tried to quell his rising anger. He may have been quiet by nature, but he was by no means a pushover. A hand on his shoulder distracted him enough that he nodded and stood before walking off with his friends again. He wasn't going to give into them.

Not tonight.

Quil being tripped and Bella landing on her already bruised hand was the last straw. Jacob whirled around and came nose to nose with James, his girlfriend Victoria and his best friend Laurent.

"Bout time you faced me like a man instead of running scared." James mused.

"Jacob… come on… you promised…" Bella tried.

James sneered. "If it's not the whore. Have fun cheating on my cousin?" He asked.

Bella glared and lifted her chin in defiance. "I wonder who cheated on whom… I have to ask… does it run in the family or do you allow Victoria to participate in your trysts too?"

James lunged at Bella who merely arched an eyebrow. He was shoved backwards by Jacob who had stepped in front of Bella in an effort to keep her from being hurt. It only enraged the blonde even more.

"Guys, come on… he's not worth it." Embry huffed.

Jacob glared before spitting at James' feet. "We're comin."

"Pussy. You do everything your little bitch asks you to do Jacob? It's no wonder you've got Sam fighting your battles for you these days. You turn into his little bitch like Embry? Or do you have some kind of man card left under all that muscle?" James taunted.

Embry only rolled his eyes. Did he not know Sam was his cousin?

He had been looking for a fight. He didn't understand that he would have his rear end handed to him by three agitated boys in a minute if he wasn't careful. Victoria had even stopped laughing when she saw how the situation had started escalading.

Bella turned and eyed her friends, trying to think of a way to defuse the situation. Even Quil had turned around while cracking his knuckles. Until James had started talking about Embry, he had been letting Jacob handle it.

"Jake… please… come on… We're be out of here… come on… I can't throw my weight around here… remember?"

"Bells…" Jacob sighed when he felt her hand on his arm.

"Please Jake… come on guys…"

Jacob sighed and took a step back. "Alright."

"Damn son, she's got you by the balls, doesn't she? She make you lick her boots too? Oh wait… that's Embry's job. I bet he's a real good bitch. He looks cute enough. I have a few friends that would love to straighten him out, don't you think Laurent."

James didn't have a single warning. Jacob's fist connected with the skin of James' face before he thought to duck. James smirked. Talking about Embry had been the final push he'd needed to make Jacob fight.

Jacob was feral and precise in his hits. James may have given as good as he got to start, but Jacob had stamina on his side. It took Jacob a grand total of eight hits to force James to the ground. They both stood breathing hard when Jacob finally got a handle on his anger. Bella had done her best to hold her other two friends back as the two fought. Embry and Quil put hands on either of his shoulders and Bella coaxed them to start walking again.

None of them saw James stand. They did however hear Victoria gasp and Laurent shout to 'stop' before a burning, white hot dose of pain flooded Jacob's right shoulder. Bella gasped Jacob's name when she saw him cradling his arm. Quil and Embry jumped to Jacob's aide, knocking James to the ground before proceeding to beat him into a bloody mess.

By the time Charlie arrived at the hospital where Jacob had been transported to, he was livid. He'd known for a long time that James would be nothing but trouble. He knew he'd do something else stupid too as soon as the judge let him go with six months of community service and a month of probation instead of the jail time Charlie felt he deserved for assaulting a police officer- even if they did live in a small town in Southern Georgia.

It all boiled down to the Cullens having money and being able to buy their way out of most any given situation.

'Not this time.' He mused walking into the room where Jacob had been placed.

"Come on now, it's not that bad." He grinned.

Jacob only sighed. He just wanted to go home, lay in his own bed and pretend tonight didn't happen. The only good thing to come about was he wouldn't have to deal with James for a while- possibly until he left for college- and Edward would be more cautious around town without his bulldog of a cousin to buffer him against the other guys in town he pissed off on a daily basis.

Maybe something good had come out of it after all. It only took him getting stabbed for it to happen. He rolled his eyes. Yeah, because that had been something good.

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	10. Chapter 9

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9

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I pray your brakes go out runnin' down a hill  
I pray a flowerpot falls from a window sill and knocks you in the head like I'd like to  
I pray your birthday comes and nobody calls  
I pray you're flyin' high when your engine stalls  
I pray all your dreams never come true  
Just know wherever you are honey, I pray for you

\- Pray For You, Jaron And The Long Road To Love

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Bella let out a peaceful sigh as she relaxed on the old blanket she had set out in her back yard, ready to enjoy a good book on her day off of work. The early morning air had just started to get hot thanks to the rising sun, leaving her thankful for the shade of the large oak tree above her. Her dad had just left for work which left the house completely quiet- something rare since she and Edward had separated. It seemed Paul and Jared had adopted her as a best friend and confidant in much the same way Jake, Embry and Quil had.

She moaned when her phone rang and interrupted the rare silence she had surrounded herself with moments before hand. If not for the windows being opened, she could have pretended to ignore it. She was tempted to let it alone before thinking better of it. She'd just reached it when it stopped ringing. She glared at it and yanked it off the charger- half a battery was better than none at all- and grumbled as she stomped out of the back door and back to her comfortable place on her blanket. She glared at the phone again before tossing it beside her, daring it to ring again and disrupt her peace.

Ring it did.

"Hello?" She huffed.

"Well… hello to you too, Grinch. Who spit in your cheerios this morning?"

Bella's temper deflated instantly. "Hey Sam. Sorry… just… I was reading…"

He laughed. "You don't have to explain anymore. I get why you were mad now."

"Bite me." She teased. "Sorry I shouldn't have said that." She told him after the words left her mouth. She pushed those thoughts of him biting her and where aside for now. They'd get her into trouble if she wasn't careful. Sam was a friend. Just a good friend.

"You busy?"

She snorted. "No… why… are you and the guys doing anything?"

Sam laughed. "They're going swimming… they want you to come too…"

Bella chuckled. "Of course they do…" She sighed.

"Jared said Kim'll be there.. She's bringing Leah too I think..." Sam told her with a huff at the mention of Leah.

She laughed. Sam didn't like Leah, not because she was Emily's cousin, but because she always flirted with him and he had no interest in her at all. "Poor baby." She was thankful he couldn't see her… she hadn't meant to say that.

"Well… I'll be at your front door in about ten minutes… think you can be ready to go by then?" He asked.

Bella pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it. Was he serious? Ten minutes and he wanted her ready? She may have been a tomboy… been raised with more men than women as friends… but ten minutes?

"Bella? Did I lose you?"

She squeaked and rushed to tell him she'd be ready. Hanging up, she gathered the corners of the blanket together and rushed inside, making a mad dash up the stairs to get ready. Glancing down at her outfit after flinging the blanket into a corner of her bedroom, she whined. There was no WAY she'd be ready in just ten minutes. Who was she kidding, she was a mess!

Her dresser was searched in an effort to look for her favorite pair of cut offs after grabbing out a white, V-neck, sleeveless shirt with a picture of a pair of cowboy boots on the front and the saying "My Hero wears cowboy boots…" across the bottom. She glanced at the clock. Five minutes to go. She rushed to her closet and pulled her boots out before rushing back to the dresser to run a brush through her hair before throwing the mess of waves into a pony tail.

She squeaked and rushed to tell him she'd be ready. Hanging up, she gathered the corners of the blanket together and rushed inside, making a mad dash up the stairs to get ready. Glancing down at her outfit after flinging the blanket into a corner of her bedroom, she whined. There was no WAY she'd be ready in just ten minutes. Who was she kidding, she was a mess!

Her dresser was searched in an effort to look for her favorite pair of cut offs after grabbing out a white, V-neck, sleeveless shirt with a picture of a pair of cowboy boots on the front and the saying "My Hero wears cowboy boots…" across the bottom. She glanced at the clock. Five minutes to go. She rushed to her closet and pulled her boots out before rushing back to the dresser to run a brush through her hair before throwing the mess of waves into a pony tail.

She had expected to see Sam. She hadn't expected to see her ex boyfriend, and stood rooted on the floor gaping at him. Edward looked like he'd been run over by an 18 wheeler then cracked over the head by a steel beam or two. In other words, he looked like hell to her.

"Can we talk?"

Bella swallowed. "I don't see that there's anything left for either of us to say to one another." She said with an even tone.

"Please, Bella. Just… I miss you."

Bella rolled her eyes. She could see Sam coming down the road and sighed. She didn't want to break up a fight in her front yard, but she didn't want Edward to press charges against Sam either. Lord knows what kind of things he'd say. He'd already tried to say she, Jacob, Embry and Quil had been drinking when they'd told the officers what James had done to Jacob.

"Look, Edward. You made it clear that you don't want me. Rumors even suggest you're happier with Tanya. I've never been one to cheat, I won't help you do that to her, no matter if I do think it's what she deserves." She growled.

"What if I told you I was wrong?! I messed up Bella! I'm only human!" Edward huffed. He missed Sam's truck pulling to a stop on the curb.

Bella shook her head. "No. plain and simple. No."

"Why not?" He sounded like a child pouting for not getting his way.

She could only stare in shock. "Because I don't want to put up with the lies, the cheating, the possessiveness and the mistreatment. I don't like being ignored, nor do I like having the fact that my father doesn't have as much money thrown in my face. I don't like that I was cheated on and took you back because I thought I loved you and you had learned your lesson only to have you do it again, not once but twice." She spat.

Edward looked around making sure no one had started listening to them. "Bella, calm down, please. You're working yourself into a fit. Stress isn't good for you."

Sam cleared his throat before Bella could say anything else. He'd seen her puff her chest up, preparing to lay into him again. Some guys just never learned. Then again, the same could be said for her for taking him back. First loves… the crazy things people did for them.

"You ok, Bella?"

Edward glared. "She's fine. I just wanted to talk with her. You can leave the way you came, this doesn't concern you."

"If I wanted you to open your mouth and speak for her, I would have asked you in the first place copper top." He snapped. "Now, are you ok, Bella?"

Bella smiled and closed the front door behind her, locking it in the process. "I'm good. Thanks Sam." She said before walking past Edward.

"Bella…" Edward's tone was light, but the hand on her arm was nearly painful in its grip.

Sam noticed the wince and had Edward pinned to the side of the house in a matter of seconds- so it seemed to Bella. "Touch her again, copper top, you and me will take a ride with Jessup. I'll string you by your balls to the back of his saddle and let him drag you around the back pastures. She's never going to take you back. Get that through your head. Now leave."

Bella sighed. "Come on Sam… everyone will be waiting on us." She said putting her hand on his arm.

Sam huffed and let Edward go, both of them turning away from him. He waited for Bella to close and lock her door before walking with her to his truck, acting as a buffer between her and Edward.

"Bella, wait! Can't we just talk?!" Edward said nearly tripping down the front steps to try and get her attention again.

She shook her head. "Go home Edward. I gave you my answer. It won't change." She told him with a sad smile.

Edward watched as Sam placed his hands on her hips, lifting her into his truck causing her to squeal. He said something that made her laugh before closing the door once she was situated. He'd not had a chance to tell her that Tanya had been pregnant with another man's baby and Emily had skipped town again after Edward refused to date her exclusively, even if they'd been talking off and on for nearly two years. Lauren was left, but he didn't want her. He wanted Bella. And he couldn't have her again.

Could his morning get any worse?

Of course. He rolled his eyes when his phone rang, his father's picture coming across the screen.

"Yes dad?" He huffed.

"We need to talk. I just got off the phone with Charlie Swan. Do you want to tell me why you're harassing his daughter? Again?"

It figured one of them would let the chief of police know. "No, and I'm not harassing her!"

"Putting your hand on her arm to the point she's wincing in pain is harassment! And you're lucky she didn't want anything done about it. It could be considered assault if she were to try and press it."

"Please, it wouldn't hold up in court!"

"You forget just who her god father is…" Carlisle quipped with a dry tone to his voice.

"Dad… what do you want me to do? I came to beg for her to take me back! I realized what an ass I was and just wanted to talk. She wouldn't give me the time of day!" Edward nearly growled.

"Watch your tone with me, son. You have bigger fish to fry right now. Lauren's mother just left my office… Lauren claims she's pregnant.."

Edward rolled his eyes. "That's wonderful for her. I'm sure the sap she'll have the kid with will be thrilled."

"Edward…you're the sap…" Carlisle huffed.

Edward spluttered in indignation. "What… but… that's… no… just… no! We didn't even… she can't… NO!"

"You're telling me you didn't sleep with her?"

"Dad… I did… but… I was careful!"

Carlisle sighed. "She claims you were both drunk. It was in fact the night that Bella and Emily got into a fight that you took she and Emily home and, in her words, 'had one of the most fun threesomes ever.' Is that true?"

"Fuuuuuuuck! Could my day get **any** worse?"

Carlisle merely hung up, refusing to take pity on his son, wondering where he had gone so wrong with the boy. He thanked every deity, god, and holy spirit above that his daughter had turned out better. Alice was younger- by nine minutes and twelve seconds (if you asked her), but already in college after having graduated a year early. She had also recently gotten engaged to a decent rancher in Texas where she had been going to school. At least one of his kids had turned out alright.

(~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~)

Bella sighed and turned to face Sam after ten minutes of silence. "Thank you for that, Sam. You didn't have to do anything. I thought it was you when I heard the knock on the door."

"It's alright, Bella. You don't have to explain it to me."

She sighed. "I still appreciate it.. I'm so tired of his bull crap." She frowned.

"Next time I see him around you, he's six foot under my boot." Sam grizzled.

She chose not to answer, instead diverting the course of the conversation. "So do I get to know where we're going? You said you wanted to go swimming… just not where…"

Sam grinned. "You'll see."

"Sam…" Bella whined.

He shook his head and grinned. "Not gonna work… I have two brothers and a cousin…" He teased.

Bella scooted closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder. "Please?"

Sam chuckled. "Nope. We're nearly there."

"Why does this place look so familiar?" She wondered.

"It was a good try but nope." He said pulling to a stop by two other trucks, one of which was Quil's and the other being Leah's.

Sam helped her out of the truck, making sure to keep eye contact with her the whole time. She bit her bottom lip and he nearly moaned. With a sigh he took a step back and cleared his throat. "Come on, it's just through the bushes." He said holding his hand out to her.

She nodded and took his hand, thankful he had started walking in front so she'd know where to step. Tree roots and boots didn't mix well. She'd learned that the hard way. When they hit the small clearing she grinned. Now she knew why it was so familiar. They'd all come to this old pond as kids. She didn't even know it was still here. That meant they were on the back of Quil's property and had taken a few back roads that she didn't know about to get there.

Jacob eyed the two with amusement after they had found a place to sit their towels down on the pond bank. He swore he'd end up knocking their heads together if they didn't admit their growing feelings for one another soon. He watched the way Sam raked his eyes over her body when Bella shred her tee shirt and shorts leaving her in a string bikini that left little to the imagination and had to admit it was one of the most hilarious sights in the world. There was definite chemistry there. He just had to get them to admit it..


	11. Chapter 10

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10

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Girl I gotta tip my hat  
Never thought a country song would make you move like that, yeah  
And she's doing it in daisy dukes

Girl she's got ya tappin' on a boys shoulder  
Hey dog check this out  
Man, it's how them girls do it in the dirty south, yeah  
She'll have you on your knee, "Can I marry you?"

-Bottoms Up, Brantley Gilbert

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Sam sighed and fell backwards into a pile of clean hay. He'd just finished mucking stalls. One of his least favorite jobs on the ranch if you were to ask his opinion. Paul and Jared followed his lead and plopped down beside him. They'd been harassing him all week long about having a bonfire in the back pastures. Thus far he'd avoided giving them an answer. There was too much to be done and he was always tired at the end of the day. Those excuses had grown old though. Blood related or not, Paul and Jared were his family and at times he wished he was an only child- in passing of course.

"So… Sam… we're all free this weekend.." Paul hinted.

Jared shook his head. "Paul.. Come on dude… I mean the only way Sam would agree to help us out is if Bella came… and lately she's been throwing herself into work at the library. Ever since they nearly kissed in the pond."

Sam grinned in remembrance. He'd come up behind her in the water and brushed his hand against the skin of her waist causing her to gasp. She'd thought for a second it was Quil or Embry only to grin when she saw him surface in front of her. They'd been lost in their own little world treading water in a shaded part of the pond. The distance had gotten shorter and if Leah hadn't called his name to come and eat, he would have kissed her.

He was brought from his thoughts by his phone ringing. "Hello?"

"Sam… you busy?"

He rolled his eyes. "Hi to you too, Jake."

"Embry said you might be throwing a party this weekend in the back pastures…"

Sam glared at Paul who pretended to look innocent. "I guess I am… why?"

"I was gonna see if you wanted to invite Bella or if I should just kidnap her for the night." Jacob teased.

"Not you too… I swear… since when are you all so vested in my love life?" He sighed.

"Since you two won't say anything." Jacob quipped before hissing in pain.

"You good?"

"I can't wait for these damn stitches to come out, I pulled my arm the wrong way. !" He huffed.

Sam snorted. "Have they sentenced him yet?" The past weekend at the pond was the first time he'd seen Jacob since before he'd been stabbed. At least it felt that way. He'd been busy with work on the ranch too and hadn't seen anyone save for Paul and Jared.

"With my dad as a lawyer, you kidding me? They slammed the gavel down as soon as they could. James got 15 years for assault and battery with a deadly weapon with the possibility of parole after 10." Sam could hear the grin in his voice.

"Poor sap." He mused.

Paul raised an eyebrow in question. He was too curious for his own good sometimes. Sam only rolled his own eyes and shook his head. He'd tell them eventually. For now, he'd keep both Paul and Jared in the dark. Call it a form of payback. Denying the gossip-mongers their details was sweet revenge indeed to him.

"So are you gonna go visit Bella and talk to her about this weekend then?" Jacob wondered.

"Do I have a choice?"

"Nope… either you talk to her or I do… and… well… are you sure you want me filling her head with all the stuff you've gotten into at parties in your back pasture?" Jacob teased.

Sam narrowed his eyes. "You can't see it, but I'm glaring. How did you even… you know what… never mind. I'll maim Embry later when I see him. What time does she get off today?"

"A couple hours. You finished with work?"

"Yeah.. Don't need to do much else today. Stalls get mucked then mom gives us the day off… dirty work and all I guess."

Jacob chuckled. "Mhm… mucking stalls… so fun."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Bye Jacob."

(~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~)

Sam sat watching the barn floor from his place in the loft. Friday had finally come and luckily, his parents had been invited to Harry Clearwater's house for some get together. It left the house to him, Paul and Jared for the night but just to be on the safe side, they'd moved to the old barn further away from the house. The insides had been gutted and it was now used to store equipment not being used. It hadn't taken Jared, Paul or Sam long to clear it out, leaving the barn itself open and easy to fill with people..

Jared's head poked up from the hole in the floor next to him. "Thought I might find you up here."

"What do you want now?" Sam teased.

He snorted. "Bella is down there. She came in when you started to climb the ladder."

"I know… I saw her."

Jared huffed. "Do we need to knock your heads together? You know she asked where you were…. Come on, she wants to see you. Get your big ass moving man!"

Sam shot him a glare before standing. "Alright! Damn. I'm coming."

Paul met them as soon as they got off the ladder and nodded his head to the corner farthest from them. Bella stood in a crimson red halter top and a pair of low rise denim jean cut off shorts with a pair of black snake skin boots on her feet. She wore a tan straw hat on her head and a smile on her face. Sam swallowed and tried to readjust himself without her noticing. Paul and Jared only laughed.

"Hey, Bella! Look who we found!"

Bella grinned and moved closer to Sam, trying to tell the man hitting on her with her actions she wasn't interested without using words to do it. "Sam! Hey! Where did you run off to hide?"

He shrugged. "I was up in the loft. Too many idiots down here."

"Should I take offense to that?" She teased.

His eyes went wide. "NO! No I didn't mean you! No, of course not!"

Her giggles cut off his stutters of apology. "It's fine! Sam… It was a joke!"

"That wasn't funny, Bella." He grinned.

Her shoulders shrugged before she grabbed his hand. "Can I make it up to you?" She asked when they were far enough away from Jacob's friend.

"Not a friend of his?"

She snorted. "Hell no! Eric doesn't know the meaning of personal space after he's had a few drinks. Sorry if I used you as a body guard."

"Hush." He purred, his lips close to her ear. "I don't mind."

Bella turned to find him invading her personal space. Were it anyone else, he would have been shoved back. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his neck and started to dance against him. It didn't take long for her to feel exactly what she did to his body. She should have been nervous. She should have moved back. Instead she moved closer- if it was possible.

Sam's breath came out in heavy pants against the skin of her neck as she moved closer. His hands moved down her back to rest on her hips and fuse their bodies together as they danced. She tempted him in the worst of ways. And she wasn't doing anything more than sharing a dance.

"Bella…"

She took it for what it was, a whispered name, pleading for something… she didn't know exactly what, but she knew it meant something.

"Sam?"

He leaned down, closer to her lips, barely brushing against them. She could smell the beer he'd snuck from his dad's cabinet and found it excited her more than it should. They moved closer, mouths inching forward to seal their kiss- all she had to do was-

"Hey! There you two are!"

Sam sighed and pulled his head back, disappointment and annoyance written in his eyes. "What's up Quil?"

"Did I interrupt something?" He asked in clear confusion.

Sam sighed and shook his head. "No… nothing life threatening. What's wrong?"

"Hn… Eric's looking for Bella. Said some tall dude took her away from him. He has Jake all kinds of worried that someone stole you out of here or something." Quil muttered.

"Oh for the love of- ohh! Remind me to knee Eric where it counts!" She huffed. She missed the wince shared by both Sam and Quil at her vehement threat of violence as she stalked off muttering under her breath.

Quil sighed. "You were about to kiss here weren't you." He stated with a small grin.

"Not now…" Sam sighed.

Quil only patted him on the shoulder. He let him know with that one gesture that he was on his side and would help him if he could. He wanted to see Bella happy, and Sam made her happy… she just had to get it around her head that he was more than a friend. Any of them could see it- why not her and Sam?


	12. Chapter 11

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11

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I run from hate  
I run from prejudice  
I run from pessimists  
But I run too late  
I run my life  
Or is it running me  
Run from my past  
I run too fast  
Or too slow it seems  
When lies become the truth  
That's when I run to you

-I Run To You, Lady Antebellum

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Bella sighed and tucked her legs under her as she sat on her front porch swing watching the rain fall. Her lap top sat forgotten next to her as she got lost in her thoughts. She had a cup of fresh brewed coffee in her hands to help her wake up, though it hadn't helped thus far. She mused that another cup or three would do the trick.

She couldn't believe summer had flown by so fast. She'd signed up to earn a degree in Natural Resource Management with an emphasis in wildlife conservation and forestry. It'd been a passion of hers since she was little. Most of the classes could be taken online, which is what she signed up for, but some of them required the 20 minute drive to the campus in Tifton. She could deal, it was only one or two classes.

Sam's car pulling into her driveway jarred her from her thoughts. She smiled when she saw him, white tee shirt speckled with raindrops as he stepped out of the cab and hurried under the shelter of her porch roof.

"Mornin." He grinned.

She smiled. "Mornin. What brings you by so early?"

"I came by to rescue you from your boredom but the rain canceled out my plans." He laughed.

She moved her lap top, patted the seat beside her and invited him to sit with her for a few minutes. "It was sweet of you to try."

"Homework?" He wondered.

Her nose wrinkled in disgust. "Yeah… two weeks in and I already have a paper due…ugh."

He laughed. "Don't feel bad. Some of my teachers were like that too."

She yawned and he couldn't help but chuckle at her. "You want some coffee? I'm goin inside to get more."

"How many have you had so far?" He teased.

Bella turned and gave him a playful glare. "Not nearly enough." She quipped while holding the door open for him.

Sam laughed and stood, following her inside with a grin. He'd thought to grab her lap top in case the wind picked up and carried the rain over the porch railing. "So you have any plans for tonight?"

"Nothing special. Sit at home… maybe watch a game with my dad if there's one on tonight." She shrugged. "Why?"

He stared at her in shock. "Bella… did you forget what today is?"

"Friday?" She tried.

Sam shook his head and pulled her over to the calendar hanging on the wall with a gentle tug. He stood behind her, caging her in and ran his lips over her jaw, barely brushing the skin on his path to her ear. "Happy birthday to you… happy birthday to you… happy birthday, dear Bella, happy birthday to you."

She nearly melted when his husky voice started crooning low in her ear. A shiver raced down her spine before she turned to face him. Something had changed in the space of two minutes. Sure they'd gotten closer as friends, but she wasn't sure how to tell him she wanted something more with him. Most of the rumors about her being pregnant had died, and Edward hadn't shown his face since everyone had found out about Lauren ending up pregnant with his child.

She was truly free of him.

"Bella…" Sam murmured, one hand moving from her waist to card through her hair.

Her eyes searched his, trying to guess what he wanted to say. They closed when he moved closer. Her heart pounded in her chest from the anticipation of his lips on hers. She sighed when she felt his mouth press to hers. Lightning could strike her where she stood and she could say she would have died a happy woman indeed.

What started out sweet and innocent moved to something wild and untamed. His hand resting on her waist moved down to her thigh in order to bring it up to his waist. The other thigh followed suit and Bella soon found herself wedged against the kitchen wall and an aroused Sam.

She broke the kiss with a gasp, her head falling back to hit the wall with a hollow thump. A shiver raced down her spine when she felt his lips ghosting over the skin of her neck. Her hands raised to card through his short hair, her nails scraping his scalp in the process. She dragged his lips back to hers and moaned when he pressed his hips into hers again.

They were so embedded in their own lust bubble that Bella never heard her front door open. They both heard the loud, excited whoops from a small group of boys now crowding her kitchen though when they were caught once with their lips once again locked in a heated kiss. Bella whined and buried her face into Sam's chest while he likewise buried his face into her neck, trying in vain to get rid of the obvious hard on he sported.

"Y'all are dead…" He muttered.

Paul smirked. "We wondered why in the hell you weren't answering the door."

Bella sighed. "Hey guys…" She tried for meek, peering over Sam's shoulder.

It didn't work. Jacob, Quil and Embry all used similar stances- an eyebrow arched with a 'are you serious right now' kind of look and arms crossed over their chests. It lasted all of two minutes before they all three of them smirked.

Sam sighed. "I need to use your bathroom." He muttered before walking out of the kitchen without facing his friends.

Embry snickered. "Come here Bella…"

When she was close enough, Embry fixed her hair in a side pony tail in order to cover the large bruise Sam had left on her neck.

"You know… that's why you get picked on so much." She teased, giving a playful shove to his shoulder.

He only shrugged. "Ask me if I care? We all know better."

Jared and Paul raised their eyebrows. "People messing with you?"

"Nah… people in school said I was gay.. Offered to help… straighten me out…" Embry muttered darkly.

"Yeah, but we've all toyed with Bella's hair… thrown it into a pony tail… thing… a few times… mostly when she's cookin." Jacob shrugged.

Jared shook his head. "Yeah… you're not doin that today by the way…"

Bella blinked at him in surprise. "I'm not?"

"Hell no! why are you gonna cook on your birthday?" Paul asked in shock.

She blushed at the memory of Sam's voice, deep and husky singing in her ear, his lips barely touching her skin.

Sam chose that moment to walk back into the kitchen. He grinned at Bella before making his way over to slap Paul and Jared upside their heads. It was followed with a slap to Embry's head as well. Jacob and Quil moved to the other side of the room in an effort to get away from him. It worked- for the time being.

"So… since it's raining right now… how about some movies?" Jacob asked holding up a bag.

Bella's eyes widened. "You brought superman and 3 Musketeers bars?! Jacob! You're amazing!" She squealed snatching the bag away from him.

Sam only shook his head. He had a lot to learn about the girl he'd just been five minutes away from throwing on the kitchen table.

"Come on… let's go watch the show." Embry grinned.

"Show?" Sam asked arching his eyebrow.

"Oh yeah… her and Quil ALWAYS get into it." Jacob grinned.

Jared, Paul and Sam shared a look. "Do we even want to know?" Jared wondered.

"Bella is a huge Superman fan… I happen to like batman. Quil though… Quil is all for Spiderman… say's he's the best superhero hands down, no contest." Embry explained.

"Oh is that all?" Paul asked, his tone dry.

Jacob shrugged. "Makes for good popcorn eating. They're hilarious."

Embry could only agree. "Come on…"

Sam sighed and ran a hand through his hair. So close… yet so far away from where he wanted to be. He walked into the living room and sat down at Bella's feet. He only shook his head when Bella and Quil did start to bicker, finding it hilarious that even in a friendly debate, Bella was still able to whip Quil's rear end- not that she knew he had let her at all.

Bella noticed and placed one foot on either side of him, scooting forward until she was on the edge of the couch. Jacob, Embry and Quil started to protest right away. Bella only smirked.

"Lean back Sam. You look tense." She whispered in his ear.

He couldn't help the shiver that raced down his spine to his semi hard dick. He did as asked of him and let a quiet moan escape when he felt the first contact of her fingers on his tense shoulder muscles. Embry had always gushed about her massages; now he knew why.

By the time she was finished, Sam was a mass of limp flesh resting against her legs. She giggled and kissed his cheek, as close to the corner of his mouth as she could get. "Feel better?"

Sam smiled at her. "Definitely." He muttered.

"Good."

It had been the last thing said before they got engrossed in the movie. When next any of them looked up, Sam sat on the couch with Bella's head in his lap, his hands running through her hair. Her eyes were closed, her chest rising and falling rhythmically in her sleep.

Jacob shook his head in amusement. They danced around each other, even if they had shared what looked like a few scorching kisses in her kitchen. He'd give it more time, then he would consider locking them in a closet somewhere until they realized how deep their feelings for each other ran.

Or until they slept together and got it out of their systems. The tension had started driving everyone mad!

(~_~_~_~_~_~_~)

"Bella… hey… wake up sleepy head…" Sam cooed in her ear.

Her eyes fluttered open and she frowned in confusion when she noticed the TV turned off and no one else in the house save for Sam. He must have noticed because he chuckled.

"They're all at my house. My mom's throwing you a barbeque.. Remember?" He teased.

She smiled. "I do… the guys leave?"

"Yeah… bout 15 minutes ago now." He mused.

With a yawn and a stretch, Bella stood in front of Sam, trying to not be awkward around him now. She'd wanted that kiss- hell she wanted him- but, had she read too much into it? She wasn't sure exactly where Sam's feelings lay.

"What's wrong?" He asked finally.

"Nothing…" She said with a blush. He'd caught her… even called her on it.

With a squeal, Bella fell against him, his arms trapping her body to his. "Bullshit." He murmured.

"I'm fine Sam…I promise." She tried again, sounding more sure of herself.

Sam's eyes narrowed. Before she had a chance to react, he'd turned them and pinned her to the couch, both of her hands held over her head. "Tell me why I don't believe you, Swan." He teased.

Bella huffed. "I'm fine."

"Uh huh." He grinned before his free hand started the assault on her ribs, finding the most ticklish spots and teasing her mercilessly. "Gonna tell me?"

Bella lay beneath him gasping for breath, squirming, trying to free herself from his grasp. "Please… Sam… stop!" She giggled when he started tickling her again.

He looked up at her face, flushed with happiness, cheeks stained pink, eyes sparkling with laughter and couldn't help but fall for her that much more. In just three months, she'd weaseled her way into his heart and brushed aside every memory of any woman before her from his mind. He let go of her hands, using the one that had caged her wrists to better support his weight instead. His free hand ghosted up her side, barely brushing by her breast on the way to cup her face.

Bella's arms encircled his neck, her fingers toying with the hair at the base of his skull. "Thank you…" She finally whispered.

"For what, Bella?"

She smiled when he settled more of his weight on her. "not letting me forget my own birthday…" She whispered.

"You're welcome…" He whispered.

She let out a shuddering breath when he ran his nose along the line of her jaw only pausing to kiss her skin just below her ear. "Sam…"

"Go out with me…. I'll take you tomorrow to the movies then out to dinner…"

She smiled, pressing her lips to his, catching him off guard. "Yeah… it sounds fun." She said with a smile.

He grinned and climbed off of her, holding his hand out to her stand as well. "I can't keep you to myself tonight or people will hunt us down and drag us out of hiding." He teased.

"Heaven forbid." She quipped with a smile. "Give me ten minutes to get ready?"

"Just ten?" He teased, laughing when she swatted at his arm.

"I'll have you know I'm not like most girls! I don't need a lot of time to get ready!" She huffed.

Sam grinned. "Yeah… I know… I'm teasing." He promised.

She only shook her head and disappeared from his view up the stairs. She had to admit, this was one of the best birthdays she'd had thus far.


	13. Chapter 12

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12

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So fall when you're ready baby  
Let our kiss count the moments and hearts set the pace  
I'll be your love song and I'll love you right off your feet  
Until you fall into me 

Fall Into Me- Brantley Gilbert

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Bella gasped and woke herself from her dream. Sam had been laying over her, her legs around his shoulders as he slammed his hips into her welcoming heat. She frowned at the sight of rain outside her bedroom window. She thought back to three nights ago. She couldn't help the smile on her face at the moment.

The feel of Sam's hands on her waist as he held her still while pointing out her birthday on the calendar, the feel of his hot breath ghosting down the flesh of her neck while his lips barely brushed against the sensitive and tingling skin of her ear. She bit her lip in remembrance of his lips on hers, the way he's shown his dominance over her by forcing her back flush to the wall.

A groan escaped her lips as her body remembered the way he'd felt lying over her on her couch after their friends had gone home. His weight settling against hers was welcomed. She thought about his eyes- glazed with passion and desire. She thought about the feel of his length, hot and hard, wanting and teasing all at the same time as he'd lightly ground their hips together.

Her eyes closed again as her imagination took over. The images of Sam's naked torso were still fresh in her minds eye. Without any conscious thought, her hands began ghosting over her body, much the way Sam had in her dream. Her fingers grazed across her perky nipples, straining to be free of the tight sleep shirt she wore. She let out a quiet shudder as one of her hands moved ever so slowly, inch by torturous inch down her stomach.

Her body thrummed with desire as she thought of Sam's lips dancing over her, grazing the soft skin of her neck with barely there kisses.. Trailing down to her chest, his tongue darting out to tease and torment her straining nipples. She whined when she thought about his lips moving in a central line down her stomach.

Her body shuddered as her fingers slid beneath the band of her sleep shorts. She pictured him hovering above her, his teeth catching on said band before pulling them slowly down her thighs. Lavishing licks and sweet kisses were placed over the flesh of her legs as he crawled back up to her already soaked slit.

Bella's back arched slightly as her fingers made contact with her clit. She imagined his mouth teasing her as the fingers of her other hand barely dipped inside. It was the most well kept secret she possessed. She and Jacob had given themselves their virginity after the first time she'd caught Edward cheating on her. She'd been crying… crying led to cuddling… cuddling led to slow kisses… that led to other things.

There'd been no regrets and their friendship had only gotten stronger.

Now though, as she dipped her fingers inside of herself, she thought of Sam. His muscular body hovering over her. His arms caging her to the bed as devoured everything she had to offer. She groaned and quickly bit her lip to keep her voice down. She didn't know if her dad was still home.

Little did she know that the very object of her desire was being let into the house by Charlie as he was leaving for work. "Just go on up, Sam. She's probably still asleep. She doesn't have any classes today and no work either."

"Thanks Charlie." Sam grinned, waving him off.

Bella heard her dad's cruiser pull out of the driveway and let a small grin leave her lips. She'd dodged a very embarrassing bullet on that one. Not to say she was loud, but she really didn't want her father to over hear what she did when the door was closed.

"Sam…."

Sam's eyebrow arched. Had she seen his truck? She sounded… off. He pressed his ear to the door, startling when it opened slightly. It hadn't even been closed all the way. He heard another breathless sigh, another whisper of his name escaping her lips and had to fight back his own echoing groan.

"Sam! Please…"

A shiver ran down his spine. Was she… he pushed the door open a little wider. Oh god, she was. He felt his jeans tighten almost painfully as he watched her back arch in pleasure. He knew it was wrong to watch, but he couldn't help himself. She was so sexy.

He bit his lip to keep the groan from escaping as he palmed his throbbing cock through his jeans. There was no way he'd be able to hide this from her. Her whimpers and groans, the breathless pleas and pants for more were heading straight to his already steel hard dick.

"SAM!"

A shiver raced down his spine as he listened to her scream his name. he'd never seen a more gorgeous sight. Her orgasm had taken her into a world of bliss and as she fell back to the mattress, a content smile graced her lips. He swallowed thickly and made his way quietly back downstairs. He'd give her a few minutes before bringing to attention he was here.

Sam didn't have to wait long. Ten minutes later found Bella dressed in a pair of curve hugging, low rise dark washed denim jeans and a solid black, almost second skin tight, sleeveless black shirt. She startled momentarily when she saw Sam sitting in her living room- seemingly asleep- before making her way slowly to him.

When she was close enough, she could see that he was wide awake and was currently rubbing his hand over his very prominent cloth covered erection. Had he heard her? Had he SEEN her?

"Hey Sam!" She chirped happily.

Sam jumped. "Hey Bella…"

Bella grinned at him. "You ok? You seem a little jumpy."

"No, I'm alright." He very nearly came in his jeans at the sight of her before him. "You look good, girl." He mused.

She grinned. "Thanks. You don't look too bad yourself, cowboy."

It was Sam's turn to grin. "I know I promised you we'd go out all day today… but I forgot about the rain.. So… I was going to come and see if you wanted to hang out somewhere until tonight when I take you out to dinner."

Bella motioned for them to head into the kitchen so she could make them coffee. "Sounds good. What do you want to do?" She asked while it was making.

'_You_?' He mused before the thought was shoved to a back corner of his mind. "How about I kick your ass in a game of call of duty?"

Bella grinned. "You're so going down. Come get your coffee, it's ready." She said before turning to find he'd backed her into the counter top.

Her eyes shyly met his. He watched her draw her lip into her mouth, her teeth nibbling on the soft flesh. "I'd be more than willing to go down." He promised, his eyes smoldering with passion.

She gasped as he invaded her personal space even more. Their lips met with ill hidden desire being pushed into the kiss from both of them. Her hands moved to card through his hair as he grabbed her by her waist to sit her on the counter. Her legs wrapped around his waist causing a groan to escape his lips.

When the kiss broke so they could breathe, his name was whispered from her lips, hitting his ear and sending shivers down his spine to pool like liquid fire in the pit of his belly. He had to control himself before he took her in her father's kitchen. But it was so hard when she was releasing little mewling whimpers and pleas.

"Sam… please…"

"Please what, Bella." He almost growled.

Bella whined. "Please… Sam…I…"

Sam's hand fisted in her hair, dragging their lips back together as he pushed his hips rhythmically into hers. They were on the verge of a much needed release. The waves of nirvana were building higher as each of Sam's thrusts became harder. His lust was all consuming as he worked them closer and closer to the edge.

Bella's head fell back and she groaned when she felt his lips dancing over her skin, the way she'd imagined them doing this morning. "Sam…"

"Bella…" His voice was strained as he worked their bodies over the edge. She fell limp against him, her breath leaving her lips in pants of breath. For his part, his arms were braced on either side of her, holding himself up and he let his forehead fall to her shoulder until he could catch the breath attempting to leave his body completely.

He lifted his head to meet her gaze when he felt her gentle fingers raking through his hair. She smiled and he echoed the smile in return. She gave him the briefest of kisses before resting her head in the crook of his neck.

"I'm sorry." He finally whispered. "I really shouldn't have done that… I don't want you to think that's all I came here for… I **really** like you, I wanted to do this right…I-"

"Sam… hey…" She cut him off with a finger to his lips. "I'm not mad… I've been trying to find a way to tell you I really like you too…. I have for a while… and this…" She motioned her finger between them, "It's nothing to regret."

Sam let out a deep breath. "Wow… I didn't see our morning going like this." He grinned.

"No, I can't imagine you did." She teased. She squealed when Sam bodily lifted her and walked them into the living room.

"Hey… the rain let up!" Bella mused looking out the windows.

Sam grinned. "Wanna go mudding?"

"How about a horseback ride? Embry said I can take Comanche out any time I want…" She grinned.

Sam arched an eyebrow. "Is that right?"

"Yeah. He said Comanche really likes me." Bella grinned.

He moved his fingers to tickle her sides. "Do I have competition from a horse now?" He teased.

She giggled. "Of course not. Comanche is a sweetheart, but I'm a one guy kind of gal." She mused.

Sam tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled. "I think I like that."

She blushed a little causing him to chuckle. "We have to stop up at the house first though. I don't wanna ride with… less than dry jeans." He quipped. With a few more giggles, kisses and sweet words about her gorgeous appearance, Bella and Sam were climbing into his truck. Bella only grinned. She loved his truck.

(~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~)

Edward sneered when he saw Jared and Paul walking into the local diner. He'd been sitting in the back corner booth and hadn't been seen by the two just yet. They were casually talking to the waitress and just as casually following along after her. He couldn't help but take in the way they seemed to anticipate the other's moves. He mused it came from years of not only growing up together, but working together on a ranch. Sometimes things were just easier that way.

The scathing remarks poised to fall from his lips towards them fell short when he heard Jared talking about Sam and Bella. They'd gone for a trail ride down one of the lesser used trails on his property. Jared was worried. Snakes were abundant in the tall grasses.

Edward smirked. The ultimate payback if you will. Horses didn't like snakes. He slipped out to hunt down one of the local boys who owed him a favor still.

"Ben… just the person I wanted to see." He grinned. "How's Tia?" He asked the tan boy.

Benjamin narrowed his eyes. "She's fine… what do you need?"

"I'm calling in my favor. Now… I know you like to play with snakes… odd as it is, you've never been bit and you're pretty good at finding them as well."

Ben nodded. "Yeah… I found a couple big canebrake rattlesnakes the other day."

"Good… I'll pay you to follow after Sam Uley and his new little harlot, Bella Swan. When you're close enough, I want you to let the snakes go."

Benjamin arched an eyebrow but shrugged and took the offered 50 bucks from Edward's hands. There were worse ways to earn some easy money.

(~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~)

Bella arched an eyebrow and shook her head in amusement when Sam led them out to the back trails on his property. His horses loved it this way. So he mused at least. He always found a few out grazing in the tall brush. It'd been a while since he'd let them out to roam, however, due to the spike in coyote activity and the sighting of rattlesnakes as well.

He helped her down from the saddle and grinned before spreading their blanket out to eat. He'd packed them a few sandwiches, a couple of apples, a couple bags of lay's brand wavy chips and a canteen of sweet tea. It wasn't the most romantic thing she'd ever seen- Edward used to try and impress her with dinners that only left her uncomfortable at the end- but it was one of the sweetest.

They had no idea they had been followed and with their little detour it gave Ben ample opportunity to place the hissing snakes on the ground close to the horses. By the time he was gone, Comanche and Apollo, one of the horses used for riding, were already nervous.

"What's up with the horses?" Bella wondered seeing Comanche paw at the ground again for the third time.

Sam brushed his hands off and stood. "Dunno… stay here right quick. I'll check." He said walking slowly over to them.

Bella bit her bottom lip and grinned. His ass in those jeans. It was a sin. She watched him freeze and tilted her head in confusion. Beside him, Apollo and Comanche were snorting in obvious fear. "Sam? You ok?"

"Yeah, it's a snake.. Stay put." He told her.

He didn't have to ask twice. She liked looking at snakes at a distance. Up close was another matter all together. She blamed her friends chasing her with them when she was little. She watched Sam pick up a sturdy stick from the ground and promptly drop it with a quick curse leaving his lips. He'd not seen the second snake.

"Sam!"

By the time Sam got past the bucking and startled horses, he was clutching his hand to his chest. He smiled when he saw that the snakes had been trampled. Bella was quick to calm the horses down and even quicker to pull Sam's shirt from his body. She used it as a make shift field tourniquet before helping him into his saddle. She wasn't a cops daughter for nothing. She flung the blanket onto the fence, dumped the dishes into a pile under it and grabbed up one of the trampled snakes.

"Smart woman." Sam quipped.

"They'll probably want it. You sure you're ok to ride?" She checked.

"I've been bit a couple times. I'm usually on Jessup though. I can't believe these two stayed as calm as they did." He said patting Apollo's neck.

"Maybe that's not so fortunate. They didn't know to be scared. Sure they were leery… not scared." Bella told him as they rode back.

Sam only groaned as his arm began to throb. With Bella's quick thinking the venom wasn't spreading **as** fast, but the pain was intensifying. He'd need medical attention soon or he'd be in for a world of trouble.

The last thought that crossed his mind when they finally made it back to his house was that their date had been ruined in some ways and gone amazing in others. They'd admitted they liked each other. Now all they had to do was take the next step and Sam would have to ask her to be his officially. He sighed and allowed his dad to help him out of the saddle. An ambulance was on it's way and Bella told him she was staying by his side until asked to leave.

He only grinned. She was definitely a spit fire. And she was well on the way to becoming his.


	14. Chapter 13

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13

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She's got the blue jeans painted on tight  
That everybody wants on a Saturday night  
She got the mood ring, she's never the same  
She's sunny one minute then she's pouring down rain.  
And she'll do whatever she wants  
And when she moves every jaw's gonna drop  
And I do but I don't want her to stop  
I want, I want I want whatever she's got  
I want whatever she's got 

-Whatever She's Got- David Nail

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Three days. Blood panels, anti venom drips, vital checks. For three days Sam was woken up every three to four hours, poked, prodded and basically annoyed as nurses and staff drew blood from his arm. The highlight of his days in the hospital? Visiting hours. Bella would come in, early in the morning, sit herself down for a few hours and talk to him, head off to work the afternoon shift at the library and finally come back for the last two hours. He'd never been more grateful for such a loyal friend.

He'd called her not fifteen minutes ago. The doctors told him if everything looked good, after lunch he'd be going home today. He couldn't wait. His mom promised him some of her pecan pie if he behaved himself. He look forward to it. His eyes opened when he heard a soft knock on the door. A nurse walked in with sparkling blue eyes and strawberry blond hair framing her face.

"Hi Sam, we've got to do another blood draw hon. The lab techs messed up and we'd rather be safe than sorry." She explained.

Sam sighed. It was a well guarded secret that he hated needles. "Ok."

Another knock at his door called attention to the frame of a small figure. Sam grinned when Bella walked into the room. "Hey, sorry I'm late. Dad wanted something done. And your mom said to tell you hello. She was over today too." She said leaning down to kiss his cheek.

They missed the nurse's pout.

"I'll get to go home if everything comes back clear after lunch. Damn snakes." He sighed.

Bella smiled and held his hand when she saw him eying the needle. She'd learned just from watching him that he didn't like the torture devices- his words, not hers. When they were alone, Bella moved to the bed and curled up against him. She'd expected things to be awkward after what had happened between them in her kitchen, instead, it'd been as though nothing had happened other than them admitting their feelings to each other.

"Hey… you ok?" He wondered.

She grinned. "Yeah, just thinking. I'm glad you're gonna be at home. I hate hospitals. They give me the creeps."

"You and me both." He sighed.

"You know… my dad and I talked this morning… those two snakes… he says they were moved into the area. I have to kind of agree. They're usually found near swampland… you don't have a whole lot of that on your property. Someone put them there."

His eyebrows furrowed in contemplation. "I guess… Even with them living near swamp areas… they can live around deep brush and fallen logs. I mean, they're not **only** water snakes. Who would move them just so one of us got bit?"

"I can think of a couple people." She huffed. "Sorry… I shouldn't assume."

Sam snorted. "You? Assume something? The nerve. You're cute when you're pretending to be all prim and proper. Your friends know better though." He teased grinning when she poked his side. "Who'd you have in mind?"

"Dad said Edward was to blame. He doesn't think he acted on his own- he doesn't know how to handle them. He also doesn't like to get his hands dirty. But he **does** have money to pay someone. And I don't think they did it to get either of us bit. I'm sure it was the plan to just spook the horses and in turn spook us too."

"Yeah… but… we took out two of the most calm horses I have in the stables. I mean, they barely even startled till I made all that ruckus." Sam mused.

"Yeah, well I still say it's because they didn't know to be afraid. You don't have many rattlesnakes on the main pastures. You keep the land too clear for the snakes to be comfortable." She complimented.

He grinned. "Thanks. And if Edward **is** to blame, we're going to have to find a way to get payback. Jay's been itchin' to ride Jessup again. Maybe he should go through with his threat to tie Edward up and take him on a ride."

Bella giggled. "I don't think Jessup would like the squealing. I'd imagine it'd sound like a pig being gutted."

"Do I even wanna know how you know that?" He wondered.

She shook her head. "Nope."

"I won't ask then. I **will** ask for a kiss though.." He pouted.

Her eyes rolled. "I **gave** you a kiss already. Greedy gut." She teased.

"That wasn't a kiss!" He pouted. "That was.. That was a **peck**.. Or something." He huffed.

Bella giggled again before turning his face to hers with her finger. Her hand moved to his neck before she left him with the sweetest of kisses. She grinned against his lips before putting more force into it. The tension had built gradually until Sam moaned and let his head flop back against the pillows when the monitors started to race. He knew if they didn't stop the nurses would come to check on him.

"Problem?" She teased.

"Nope. There **will** be when I get this damn monitor off though. Once I get you alone, I'm **going** to pay you back." He promised.

Bella's breath caught as she stared down at him, watching the lust dancing behind his brown eyes. "How much longer?" She wondered.

"Just after lunch is what they told me." He grinned.

A knock at the door drug them from their bubble of lust. Sam grinned when Paul and Jared walked in followed by Embry. Jacob and Quil had promised to help Billy in his office since they didn't have classes and told him they'd see him after he'd been released. They took in the stain coloring Bella's cheeks, the way Sam's eyes flashed with annoyance and the tension in the room and shook their heads. They didn't know that the two had already told one another of their feelings. To them, this was just another reason for them to be locked in a closet together.

(~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~)

Edward had started panicking. Charlie had just left his place of work after talking to Carlisle. From what he'd heard, Sam would be released from the hospital today. He'd never intended for the idiot to be bitten. He'd only wanted them scared. With a groan of frustration he only just refrained from slamming his head into a brick wall.

"A word, Edward, please." Carlisle said walking back to his office.

Edward rolled his eyes but followed his father none the less. When the door was closed he leaned against it, his palms flat on the wood paneling at his back. "Can I help you?" He asked.

"Sam's coming home today…" Carlisle started.

Again, Edward rolled his eyes and took a seat in front of his dad. "Yes, and I'm happy for him. But what does this have to do with me?" He snapped.

"Edward… did you think there wouldn't be rumors spreading already to say that it was your fault? You've been jealous about their budding friendship from the beginning. I for one have to wonder just how much you had to do with it. I'll give you a chance now to tell me in what capacity so I'll know if I need to hire you a lawyer or not." He warned.

"Are you **serious**?! Why would you even… How could you think… dad I did **not** have anything to do with him being **bitten**!" Edward snapped. Inside, his heart raced. Would they go so far as to try and press charges? How did they even know he'd had everything to do with him being bit- save for the placement of the snakes. It wasn't like he'd tried to murder him or anything!

"Edward… Charlie had already explained to me that Josh Uley wants to press charges if he finds out that this wasn't an accident. The type of snake he was bit by is one not usually found in the area. Seeing as there is no large body of water near by, it's not likely that one would just travel into the area- much less two."

Edward frowned. "I don't know anything about it." He lied.

Carlisle shook his head in disappointment. He knew his son. He knew a lie when he heard it and only sighed. "Alright then. Take your lunch break. I need to make a few phone calls then see Lauren. She's been having pains to her stomach for the past week."

Edward arched an eyebrow. "That's news to me." He murmured.

"It **wouldn't** be news if you would **talk** to her!"

The way his father snapped at him caused Edward to arch an eyebrow. When he got no other response, he sighed and shook his head. He left the building and made his way to the diner. Upon entering, he saw a small gathering consisting of Sam Uley and his friends. He'd been released early it seemed. Pursing his lips, he made his way to the counter and asked for his usual before taking a seat in the back corner booth- also his usual.

Bella was the first to notice him. She curled her hand over Sam's arm and laid her head on his shoulder. It wasn't that out of the norm for her. She did it to most of her friends. To Edward, who sat studying her, it was different. He'd never seen that look on her face before now. He didn't know how to place it.

"She looks happy."

A voice to his left lifted him from his thoughts. "Excuse me?"

"She looks happy."

Edward sighed. Victoria hadn't been the same since James had been sent to prison. "Meaning?"

"I've never seen her look at anyone like that. She looks like she's in love." Victoria sighed.

So that was it. Jealousy burned inside of Edward's chest. Jealousy and… guilt. She could have been harmed. There was a small part of him that still cared for her, even if he saw her as a hindrance to his promised career. He shook his head. He didn't like feeling like that. Guilt was a weakness. He only sighed and nodded to the waitress when she placed his food in front of him. She wasn't his problem anymore. He ignored Victoria when she shook her head and told him he'd regret leaving her one day.

Wasn't it Bella who would regret walking away from him?

(~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~)

Bella gasped as her back hit the back wall of the barn. Sam's large hand cradled her head, cushioning the impact, as his lips crashed to hers. Her hands ran up his body, one hand pulling his hat from his head, the other carding her fingers through his hair before both her arms came to rest around his neck. She whimpered and hooked one of her thighs around his waist, pulling their hips flush together.

His lips trailed kisses from her lips down her jaw to tease a sensitive point of her neck stopping only so he could inhale her sweet scent. She always smelled like coconut and cherry blossoms. Underneath that was something… wild… exotic… pine and spice mixed with something just her.

"God I want you." He whispered against her skin.

She moaned when he pulled her other thigh up around his waist and thrust his hips against hers. She dragged his lips back to hers and whimpered when she felt one of his large hands sliding from her waist up her body. Her flesh rippled under his touch with desire and goose bumps raised where his fingers had trailed.

"Sam!" She whined when his fingers brushed over her nipple through her shirt.

Sam grinned and moved to nibble on her neck again. "What's wrong Bella?" He cooed huskily in her ear.

Her nails dug into his shoulders. "Tease." She huffed.

"Who? Me?" He asked, brushing their lips against each other. He palmed her breast and smirked. "Why would you call me a tease?" He whispered against the shell of her ear as his fingers slid beneath the waist band of her jeans.

A shiver of anticipation raced down her spine before her lips were claimed with his. Her hips thrust against his searching fingers with all the urgency she could muster. Her hands roamed over plains of covered muscle and skin and all the while the need for release grew. Sam wanted to be the one to make her cum- not just the image of him in her head. He wanted to be the one to make her cry out as pleasure washed over her body. They were on the edge, close enough to dive over into the sea of bliss floating below them.

"Sam?! Bella?! Where the hell are you?!"

Bella's gasp was muffled by Sam's hand covering her lips, all the while his fingers kept rubbing her clit. Her eyes widened when he smirked down at her, his own eyes impossibly dark with lust. Her body was screaming, begging, for what it knew Sam could give. With a muffled whimper, she froze as pleasure raced over her.

They listened as the footsteps came closer. Sam withdrew his hand from her jeans before covering her mouth with his. It wouldn't do well to have whoever had been searching for them seeing just how he'd made her shudder with desire. How he'd made her body sing for him. How he'd made her come with just a look alone. His jeans were yet again a mess and he could only pray that his mom hadn't raided his hamper in the three days he was in the hospital.

"Holy hell!"

Jared. Go figure. Sam couldn't even be bothered to offer a one fingered salute.

"What. The. Actual. Fuck?!"

And Paul. Where one went, the other followed. Sam wasn't surprised at all. At least they'd only been caught kissing behind the barn.

Sam broke their kiss and turned his head to look at his brothers. "What's up guys?" He wondered.

He felt invincible.

"_What's up guys_, he asks? We just caught kissing Bella behind the barn and all you say is '_what's up guys_?' Damn, man." Jared huffed.

Bella giggled and pressed kisses to his neck, smirking when she felt him shiver. She didn't care that she'd been caught- so long as it wasn't her dad. She sighed, still floating after the amazing feeling of Sam's fingers fine tuning her body, coaxing pleasure from it with little more than his amazing fingers.

"So… how long have you two been kissing while we've been thinking of ways to knock your heads together?" Paul teased.

Sam rolled his eyes. "Told you not to become too vested in my love life. You'd start missing stuff."

Jared and Paul sighed. "We're happy for you guys. And don't worry. We won't say anything."

Bella smirked. "Better not. I'll have to find a way to embarrass the two of you." She said with a wink.

Sam chuckled and took hold of her hand, lacing their fingers together. "I take it you were sent to come get us?" He mused.

Paul and Jared eyed Bella. "Um yeah.. Everyone is here. Mom said it's time to eat." Paul said before walking away. Bella had evil moments when she wanted. He didn't want to be on the wrong end of one.

Jared followed after Paul leaving Sam and Bella to themselves.

"So… I'm attracted to you… but… what do you say to being my woman?" He grinned.

She smiled and shook her head. "Is **that** how you ask a girl out Sam?" She teased.

"No… but I do want to go out with you… I want you to be mine." He told her in all honesty.

Bella pretended to think about it. She laughed when he tickled her. "Of course." She grinned.

With another chuckle, Sam picked his hat up off the ground, where it had been knocked off, and placed it on her head. It raised quite a few eyebrows and caused Jared and Paul to smirk. Their friends could only pout when they would divulge any sort of details, but inwardly, they were happy to see Bella and Sam happy.


	15. Chapter 14

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14

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In my life I've been hammered by some heavy blows  
That never knocked me off my feet  
All you gotta do is smile at me and down I go  
And baby it's no mystery why I surrender  
Girl you got everything

-Ain't Nothin' 'Bout You- Brooks And Dunn

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Bella looked up and sighed when she saw Edward walking into the library. He glanced around, saw her and started making his way over towards her immediately. Arlene watched with cautious eyes, waiting for him to do something that would allow her to ask him out to leave. She loved Carlisle and Esme, she could go on and on about them- their daughter Alice was another favorite. Edward.. Well, things couldn't be perfect for every family.

"Bella, can I talk with you in private?" Edward asked, louder than was generally preferred.

"Edward, I'm at work. No, you may not talk to me in private, and I would appreciate it if you'd please lower your voice." She said while studying. Arlene had allowed her to bring her books or laptop with her to work so long as she promised not to neglect her duties. So far, it hadn't done any harm.

"Bella, please, I know I've been an ass, but please, I just want to talk to you." He sighed.

Bella rolled her eyes. "And I have nothing to say to you. Now, please, I'm due for my lunch break and I already have plans to spend it with my boyfriend. Now, there's someone waiting to check out, if you'll excuse me."

"Your boyfriend?! What boyfriend?!" He snapped with his eyes narrowed.

"If I were you, son, I'd listen to miss Bella's advice and leave her alone. It's doin' not a lick of good to anyone to be panting after what you've had, lost, and have no luck of getting again." Arlene said from behind him.

Edward jumped and turned to look at her. For an old woman, she moved way too quiet. "I just wanted to see if she would let me apologize. I've been selfish lately." He said hoping he sounding convincing. From the frown he saw on her face, he guessed not.

"Jealousy's a hard thing to handle, Mr. Cullen… but I think you'd better try to reel it on in rather quick.. She's happy." Arlene said before walking away.

That was that.

He sighed when he looked up to see Jared, Paul and Sam walking through the door. they froze when they saw him. He only narrowed his eyes, straightened his back and walked past them. Bella could only sigh. He'd never intimidate them with his posturing. He was just too…. Arrogant for them to pay any mind to anymore.

"Was he buggin you again Bella?" Paul wondered.

She smiled. "No. nothing I can't handle. Mrs. Arlene was here too, to help me too." She told them.

Sam sighed. "I'm sorry he's messin with you still." He said leaning in to give her a kiss on her cheek. She was at work after all.

"Mrs. Arlene, is it alright if I take my lunch break?" Bella asked.

Arlene waved her off with a grin. "Go on sweetheart. I'll survive an hour on my own."

Bella couldn't help the giggle that left her lips. Her eyes widened as she looked at the smirks that danced into place on her friends faces. She glared and closed her eyes. It took them a whole three minutes to start teasing her once they were outside the doors of the library. She only sighed.

"So mean. I swear you three took lessons from Jake, Quil and Embry." She huffed finally.

Paul shook his head. "Nope, they took lessons from US! We're older, remember?"

"How could I forget." Bella rolled her eyes.

Sam smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "We're just messin' with you baby girl. I promise. I'll stop." He grinned.

Her eyes narrowed and she gave his side a playful hit. "You better be."

"You know we still love you!" Jared quipped holding the diner door open for them all.

She rolled her eyes and giggled when Sam's fingers ran over a ticklish spot on her side. "No fair! None of you guys are ticklish the way I am. I hate it sometimes." She said while pretending to pout. She gave her order to the waitress- a new face in town named Juliet- before resting her head on Sam's shoulder.

"So Paul… which lucky girl's getting your attention now?" She teased.

He frowned. "I'm not THAT bad…"

Jared snorted. "I've been with Kim since sophomore year. You… you've become quite the man whore since we graduated." He teased.

Sam only rolled his eyes. "Don't look at me. I'm out of this one. Besides, I wanna know who you have your sights set on too."

"Oh come on you guys… I'm not THAT bad…. Am I?" Paul huffed and whined all at once. It was enough that Bella only shrugged but refused to answer.

"Let's see… shall we… just this month alone…. "Katie, Anna, Gracilyn, Joanna, Morgan, Jackie, Nicole and Brianna…" Jared smirked counting off names on his hand.

Even Sam was floored. "Damn, Paul…"

"So… still say you're not that bad?" Bella snickered.

Juliet walked back with their food, smiling and batting her eyes at Paul all the while. She winked when he looked up from his plate. She'd slipped her number to him when none of the other waitresses had been looking. He grinned, flashing her a panty melting smile and watched her walking away.

"Did you do what I think you just did…" Bella asked, her tone accusing.

Paul shrugged. "I'm buying." He said writing something on a small piece of paper. Bella only sighed. At least one of them would laid.

Sam shrugged too. "If you say so. I won't complain."

"I'll get the bill tomorrow." Jared offered.

Bella shook her head. "Are you guys gonna let me pay for one of our lunches… ever?" She teased.

Sam tipped her chip up to look into her eyes. "Wouldn't be right to ask you since you're on your lunch break and I'm technically treating you to lunch."

"If you say so." She sighed.

He kissed the frown off of her lips. "I do." He whispered in her ear, ending the conversation before starting to eat.

His hand moved to rest on her thigh under the table, close to the juncture of her thighs. She glanced at him from the corner of her eyes as his fingers started rubbing in small circles. When he didn't do anything else, she relaxed somewhat.

A half an hour later saw Bella and Sam at the back of the library in a secluded corner. Paul and Jared had been told quick enough when Bella had gone to the bathroom that he wanted some time alone with her. They told him they understood and told her they had to leave early instead of hanging out for the remaining thirty minutes of her break when Bella came back.

Bella gasped when Sam's lips closed over the skin of her neck above her pulse point. She fisted her hands in his short hair and moaned in his ear, sending shivers down his back. His hands tormented her, running up and down her torso, teasing her nipples beneath the fabric of the top she wore, moving down towards her waist just as quick.

"Sam… please.." She knew there would be a mark on her neck. She just didn't care at the moment.

"What's wrong Bella? You're so… frustrated." He purred as his fingers made quick work of the button holding her pants together.

Bella bit her lip while looking at him, holding his eye. Her hand moved to cover his in order to stop him. She smiled when she saw the confusion in his eyes and nodded to the bench next to them. She sat beside him, her hand sliding from his chest down the center of his body.

"I am frustrated Sam… but you… you've been hard since we got into the diner. Don't think I didn't know that." She purred in his ear. "Let me help." She whispered before taking the lobe of his ear between her teeth and giving it a light tug.

He swallowed and closed his eyes when he felt her hands running down his chest again. When the hell had she undone the buttons? He moaned when he felt the tip of her tongue dancing over his skin. He all but gasped when her teeth bit at one of his taut nipples, causing his back to arch. Had it been that long that he'd forgotten how good that felt? A shiver raced down his spine when he heard the zipper of his jeans coming undone.

He felt he had to be dreaming when he saw her moving her head closer to his lap. Not even Emily had ever offered to give him head of her own will. He'd always had to beg and bribe her.

"Commando, Sam?" She asked, her eyes alight with amusement.

He only smirked. "Less laundry."

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Bella grinned when Sam pinned her to the side of her house. He'd given her a ride home from work as well as walked her to her door. She'd offered him a kiss in repayment, and then teased him with a kiss to the cheek. She'd then told him he'd have to take it if he wanted a real kiss.

Her eyes fluttered closed when she felt one of his hands rake through her hair. The other moved to her waist before he pressed their lips together. It was enough that Bella gripped his shirt and whimpered within the kiss. Her lungs burned with the need to breath, but she didn't want the taste of him gone from her mouth.

Just when she thought she'd pass out from the lack of oxygen, Sam ripped his lips from hers, both of them gasping in an effort to fill their lungs with air. Sam's lips rained kisses along the bare skin of her neck starting from her collarbone, creating a path of need and desire the further up her skin he traveled.

A throat clearing behind them broke them apart. Bella huffed when she saw her dad. Her cheeks reddened with embarrassment as she moved away. "Thanks Sam. I'll call you later ok?"

Sam smiled. "Sure." He said letting her go in the house. He nodded to Charlie, who merely shook his head with a grin and hopped back into his truck. He sighed, started the engine and drove for home.


	16. Chapter 15

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15

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Well, there's a whole lotta high- class people out there,

That's lookin' down on me.

'Cause the country club where I belong,

Is the Honky Tonk till three in the mornin'.

Don't wear no fancy clothes,

No ties or three-piece suits.

You can find me in my camouflage hat,

My tee-shirt an' cowboy boots.

If that don't fit your social class,

You can kiss my country ass.

Kiss my Country Ass- Rhett Akins

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Sam huffed when his phone vibrated in his pocket; the stupid thing could wait. He was nearly finished with the last of his chores for the day. He ignored it, until it vibrated again. With a muttered curse, he pulled it from his back pocket only to grin when he saw Bella's face on the screen. "Hey, baby girl! I've been thinking about you."

So it was a white lie. He mused she'd still like to hear it.

He wasn't wrong from the sound of her chuckle. "You were, huh?"

"Always." He ignored the snickers coming from Paul and Jared, offering them a one finger salute instead. "Are you still at work?" He asked.

"Mmhm. I'm on a ten minute break." She huffed.

"Why do you need a ten minute break? Did something happen?" He'd been told by everyone who knew him he was too perceptive for his own good. Now had been just another one of those times when he knew something had been wrong.

Bella sighed. "Mrs. Arlene sent me to the back of the library in the office. Edward tried to manhandle me outside to get me to talk to him. He said he only wants to apologize, but I don't think he does." She said rubbing the bruise that had started forming on her arm.

Jared tried to calm him down while Paul yanked the phone away from a now livid Sam. "Hey, Bella, it's Paul. What's wrong? Sam looks ready to kill."

"Yeah, I figured he might be. I had a run in with Edward today. Mrs. Arlene sent me into the back until she could get him to leave. I thought maybe talking to Sam would help. Guess that one didn't work though." She sighed.

Paul sighed and watched Sam pacing while Jared kept him from getting too close to any of the walls. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah… I'm fine. I wish I had a spider or ten to throw at his face though. Maybe he'd take a hint and leave me the hell alone." She huffed.

"A spider or ten? Isn't that kind of excessive?" He mused.

"And what? I'm supposed to sit back and let him heckle me and annoy me to the point I don't leave my house anymore? Oh… Paul, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you."

Even though she couldn't see it, Paul rolled his eyes. "I know. Damn, woman, you act like you're the first girl to ever snap at me! That was mild compared to some I've had pissed off at me." He teased.

"I still feel bad. It wasn't warranted and I was raised better." She huffed.

He grinned when Sam walked over to them after he'd calmed himself. "Sam, you get rid of this one and I'll take her for myself." He teased before handing the phone back to him.

"Don't mind him, baby girl. He was dropped on his head as a baby." Sam huffed.

"He means well. I'm sorry if I ticked you off, Sam." She said, her voice quiet.

He sighed. "I'm not pissed at you. I'm pissed at Edward. You're my girl now. I don't like him thinkin' he can weasel his way back into your good graces."

Bella bit her lip to try and quell the whimper that wanted to escape. He sounded so sexy at the moment. Sure, he'd been acting like a possessive cave man, but in his way, he showed her he cared about her because he knew she didn't like the attention Edward had been giving her lately. It was enough to have her eyes fluttering closed as she remembered the smoldering lust she'd seen in his eyes not two days before when she'd nearly brought him to his knees- or would have if he'd been standing.

"Sam… he doesn't have a snowballs chance in hell of getting me back. I'm with you now. And I'm not leaving." She finally promised.

"Oh yeah?" He couldn't help the smug smirk that danced onto his lips. Jared and Paul each arched an eyebrow in question, causing his smirk to turn into a grin.

"Definitely." She promised.

Sam could have leapt for joy. "That's my woman."

"I hoped you'd agree. Now though, I have to go. Edward is gone and I still have some things to file before I can leave."

"Still comin' over tonight?" He wondered.

"Of course. You going to tell me where we're going?"

He chuckled. "Nope. You'll have to wait and see..."

"Ok. Bye Sam." She said with a smile in her voice.

Sam hung up and sighed. "So.. Who here wants pay back on a certain city boy we all love to hate?"

"What's goin on Sam?" Paul asked. "She wouldn't say too much."

"Edward has been messing with her off and on since I got out of the hospital." Sam sighed. "He put his hands on her today to try and get her outside to talk alone. Apparently he's sorry or some shit."

"Fucker." Jared had had enough.

Finding out Edward had been trying to get back into Bella's good graces, then man handling her had pushed him nearly to his limits. Sam and Bella had shared their theory that Edward had paid someone off to have the snakes placed near the horses. They didn't think he'd counted on Sam being bit though. Hell it could have been Bella. He was livid. For that matter… so were Jared and Paul if they could be judged on the dark frowns the two wore.

"Come on you two. Let's get this done. I gotta get cleaned up before tonight." Sam sighed. Stewing over it wouldn't do any of them any good.

"Still taking Bella out on a picnic dinner tonight?" Paul asked.

"Yeah. Mom helped me work on everything."

Jared snorted. "Thank god for that! We all know you can't cook to save your life. I've never seen someone move so slow in a kitchen." He teased.

"And yet, I can still skin a buck faster than you…" Sam mused.

"I still cook it better." Jared snapped.

Paul arched an eyebrow. "I wouldn't brag about that."

"Hey, Kim likes the fact that I can cook, and that I clean. I still have my man card." Jared huffed.

Sam only laughed and went back to mucking stalls.

Paul's shout had Jared and Sam running to him in the last stall nearly ten minutes later. He'd found something 'cool' and wanted them to see it too.

"Dude… the hell is that?!" Sam asked, his eyes wide.

Jared rolled his eyes. "It's just a spider!"

"Just a spider? Damn, bro, the thing is huge!" Paul huffed.

"You know… Bella told me Edward is afraid of spiders…" Sam said with a thoughtful look.

"Yeah, she said that on the phone earlier… well she said she wished she could throw one in his face…" Paul shrugged.

"Watch it… don't let it get out of sight, I'll be right back." Jared said running out of the barn.

Sam arched an eyebrow and Paul only shook his head. "Do I even want to know?" Paul wondered.

"Maybe not. It's Jared after all." Sam snickered. "That fucker is big though…" He added after a minute.

"I picked it up but I didn't want to get bit. Look at the fangs on the son of a bitch." Paul crowed.

Sam shook his head. "I'll pass, thanks. I don't mind spiders, but that damn thing is about as big as my index finger."

Jared came back with a mason jar and a lid with poked through holes in it. He wore a smirk on his face as he eased the spider into the jar- after spending ten minutes corralling it into a spot where he could catch it.

"Thing has to be at least 2 or 3 inches long…. Come on, Quil's grandpa knows a lot about spiders… he can tell us what it is." Jared said before hurrying out of the barn.

Sam only shook his head. "He's up to something."

"Yep… come on then. Lets go rescue him…" Paul sighed.

"Again." They chorused as the followed him. It would be one of those days after all.

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Edward sighed as he climbed into his car. Work had been hell for him. He'd had a visit from Paul and Jared today and he was beyond nervous for the first time since Sam had been released from the hospital. They got closer and closer to finding out what his part in how Sam had been bit was and he couldn't help but feel panic begin to settle in the pit of his stomach. He scrubbed his hands over his face and sighed again. He shook his head and started his car.

He never noticed the hitch hiker that had fallen onto his shoe from the steering wheel where it had been sitting. He did however notice it when Paul and Jared started laughing heartily as he drove past them on his way out of the parking lot. He only shook his head. He wondered why they had stayed in the parking lot; he'd never understand them.

He frowned when they merely waved. Dumb hicks. The lot of them.

Feather light touches caught his attention. It felt like something crawling up his shin. He stomped his foot, hoping it was just a tingle under the surface of his skin that would go away. When it happened again, he frowned. He nearly missed stopping at the stop sign due to his lack of attention while driving. He glared when the cop sitting next to him only arched an eyebrow.

What was in his pant leg?!

He intent had been on finding out what was wrong. He sighed and pulled the hem of the pant leg up to see if there had been a bug caught under the fabric; he yelled and nearly feinted. Placing the car in park, he flew out of the door and started stomping like a mad man in the middle of the road. He became oblivious to anything but getting the invading beast off of his skin. It looked like something from a nightmare.

He completely missed the howling laughter from the other end of the parking lot. Even the deputy behind him chuckled at the scene he had created. He looked like an escaped mental patient, flailing around and screaming in the middle of the road. He didn't care about anything else but getting the thing off of his leg without being bit- or peeing his pants out of fear.

When he noticed the beast of a spider that had been clinging desperately to his leg was off and gone, he shivered again. Reality came crashing back on him and he looked around, horrified at all the people who had stopped to stare at him. He only moaned.- today could not get any worse than it already had.

"Is there a problem, son?" Now the cop was involved. Could his day go any worse?

Edward sighed. "No sir. Not anymore." He said with a sullen expression on his face.

This would go straight back to his father. He never saw the camera in Jared's hands as he and Paul walked past him, still laughing.

"Can I ask what had you hopping around like a mad hatter?"

Edward sighed. "There was a spider in my pants."

"All that fussin' was over a spider? You sure you got your man card in tact son?"

Edward scowled. "If that's all, sir, I'd like to go home now." He nearly spat.

"Alright. I'll let ya get on with a warning this time. As entertaining as seeing you hopping around was… you're causing too much of a scene. Have a good day." He offered trying to keep the amusement from his voice.

Edward only scowled. Payback received alright. He'd have to think of another way to apologize. Maybe then he'd have a chance with Bella again.


	17. Chapter 16

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**16**

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Ready set let's roll,  
Ready set let's ride  
Get your little fine ass on the step  
Shimmy up inside,  
Just slide girl by my side girl  
Yeah, we can run this town  
I can rock your world  
We can roll 'em down fog 'em up  
Cruise around get stuck pedal to the metal  
'Till the sun comes up  
I made a deal with the man on the moon  
He's gonna put in some overtime, we've got all night  
Ready set let's roll  
Ready set let's ride 

-Ready, Set, Roll- Chase Rice

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Paul sighed and shook his head. He'd been in town to run a few errands for Josh when he saw Edward yet again harassing Bella. Sam would be pissed if he saw it. He pulled out his cell phone and called Jared instead. A smirk graced his lips as he waited, anticipation making him giddy.

"Hey, Paul.. Man… Kim is pissed at you right about now." Jared snickered.

"The hell for this time?!" Paul huffed.

"I promised to watch a movie with her... then you called."

He rolled his eyes. "In other words, you shoved your man card into her purse and let her cry on you while you're forced to watch another chick flick?" He teased.

Jared rolled his eyes even though Paul couldn't see it. "She happens to like this movie, and if it makes her feel better, I'm all for it."

"Whipped… so whipped. Anyways do you still have the video from last week of the resident pussy boy?" Paul wondered.

"Yeeeeah…. Why?"

"He's gonna get a dose of what it means to mess with Sam… again." Paul mused.

Jared stiffened, something Kim noticed. "Is Bella alright?" He asked rubbing Kim's arm to let her know it was ok.

"Yeah, Edward's messing with her again. She just walked back inside, if he follows her- yup I'll talk to ya later." Paul said hanging up without another word of explanation.

Edward pulled on Bella's arm trying to stop her before she was able to get too far away. "Please, Bella, just talk to me. Won't you even do that much?"

"Hey, Bella… Copper top buggin you?" Paul asked while cracking his knuckles.

Bella sighed. "Hey Paul."

"We're talking, if you don't mind. I'm sure one of your horses needs to be trained or something- not that you'll win this year anyways." Edward hissed.

"Edward! That was uncalled for and I don't think your father would appreciate you talking to someone that way." Bella frowned.

Paul shook his head. "You don't have to defend him Bella. He doesn't have the smarts to keep his mouth shut either way. And without his cousin here to help him out, he's easy pickins'." He warned.

Bella sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Edward, look… I'd buy into you wanting to stay friends if there was any truth to it. The fact is, you're jealous. And no, I'm not saying that to sound conceited. From what I hear, you have a child on the way! You have your moments where you can be an ass but surely you'll do what's right by your child… won't you?"

Paul scoffed and rolled his eyes when Edward sneered at him. "Of course I will, but I do want to talk to you. In private if we can."

Bella tilted her head towards the sky and sighed. "If I give you five minutes will you leave me the hell alone?"

"I promise." Edward nodded.

Paul rolled his eyes. He didn't say anything, but he knew that somehow Edward would try anything to have Bella back in his arms.

"Paul, can you wait here? I'm going over here by the oak tree. If I start walking this way and he follows…. I give you permission to kick him or something." She sighed.

Paul smirked. "With pleasure!"

"Charming." He spat. "You're confidence in my self control astounds me Isabella." He mused when they were alone.

"Bella." She corrected automatically. "Now what do you want?"

"I miss you. I keep thinking about it. Lauren isn't you. Emily wasn't either, nor was Tanya. They have nothing on you. I just want a chance again. Please, is it that much to ask?" He asked her trying to touch her face. He frowned when she backed away. "Lauren told me she would be getting an abortion.. She doesn't want to be a mom this early on, and I don't want to be a dad."

Bella was horrified. "How can you be happy about that?!"

"It leaves me free." He shrugged.

Bella shook her head. "Your five minutes is up now. Don't bother coming back around, Edward. I'm through telling you. Come back again, I'll get my dad to issue a formal restraining order against you." She warned before walking away leaving Edward stunned behind her.

"You alright? Should I call Sam?" Paul asked when he saw her tears.

She shook her head. "No, don't bug him. I'm sure he's busy. Otherwise you'd be back on the ranch and he'd be the one running the errands." She grinned.

"How'd you know?" Paul asked.

Bella nodded towards his truck. "The stuff in the back is brand new. I'm guessing y'all have a fence down which means Sam is gonna be busy later on too. So I'll just talk to him later."

Paul shook his head. "You're right and wrong all at once." He teased. "We had a tree fall and take out part of one of the fences. But Sam isn't gonna be helping us. He's taking you out somewhere. And no I'm not sayin another word." He smirked.

Bella shook her head. "I'll see you later. My lunch break is nearly finished." She said before walking off with a tiny wave.

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Bella sighed when she saw Sam leaning against the door to her truck when she walked out of the library. She gave him a sweet smile and couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips when he picked her up into his arms. "Did Paul send you after me?"

"Nope. Jared dropped me off earlier.. Only been sittin here for bout five minutes or so." He said placing a quick kiss on her lips. "Why would Paul have sent me?" He wondered.

She thought about fibbing. But he'd find out later on anyways. "Edward started heckling me again. Paul came to the rescue on your behalf." She said handing her keys over to him.

Sam sighed. "Baby girl. You should have called me. I'd have beat his ass. It's the only way he's gonna learn."

She shook her head. "Nope. Then you'd be the one getting into trouble. I can only do so much if you fight in the open." She teased.

He laughed. "You're too much. You know that?"

"Sometimes." She grinned. "But I think you can handle it." She quipped.

He grinned in answer. "So… I have a surprise for you tonight."

"Oh? Are you gonna tell me?" She asked.

"Nope." He snickered when she pouted. "Just be ready to leave around seven or so, ok?"

Bella sighed. She'd have to bide her time until he came to get her. "Can I at least ask what I'm supposed to wear?"

"Jeans and a tee shirt. It's nothing fancy. I promise."

"Alright. I'll see you at seven then." She grinned. She didn't even question it when Jared pulled up in her driveway. She mused Sam must have told him when to be there for them to be so coordinated. She waved to both of them then headed inside to get ready. She couldn't wait to see what he had planned.

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Bella grinned and fussed with her hair when she heard the doorbell ring. She checked that she had everything in her small purse: license, chap stick, small hair brush in case Sam rolled the windows down, hair tie (also in case he rolled the windows down), cell phone and charger. She checked herself over one last time in her dresser mirror and smiled at her reflection.

Her jeans were worn but still fit snugly, outlining every curve she had. Her long sleeved form fitting tee shirt with its V-neck dipped just this shy of provocative yet concealing all at the same time. Even her boots boosted her a good two inches. She wore a coat of mascara and a coat of eye liner and nothing else. Nothing fancy- just her.

"Hey, Sam. You ready to go?" She asked walking down the steps.

"Oh wow…Bella… you look…."

"That bad, huh?" She teased.

Sam shook his head. "No! No, you look beautiful." He kissed her cheek and grinned when she blushed.

"I'll be home later dad." She said before she left.

Charlie only waved. She wasn't old enough for a set curfew anymore; there wasn't much he could do. He knew if she wasn't coming home she'd send a text or call if there was trouble. He'd raised a smart daughter who knew the in's and out's of how to defend herself and find a way to get help if there was trouble.

He should have been more concerned. He would have been if it had been anyone other than Sam. He trusted the boy- had known him since he'd been born. He wasn't worried. Sam said they would be safe. After all, it was only a picnic dinner by the lake. What harm was there in that?

Sam grinned and helped her into his truck, only stopping to offer her a brief kiss before closing the door and making his way to the drivers side. The truck was started, her hand was placed in his and comfortable silence filled the cab. At least until Bella started to fidget. Sam only laughed.

"Won't you at least give me a hint?" She asked with a pout.

He brought her hand to his lips and merely shook his head. "Relax. Enjoy the ride."

Bella sighed and decided to let it go. She snuggled up to him and rested her head on his shoulder until she saw the familiar turn off to Tiger Bay. "Why'd we come out here?" She asked when he parked.

"I told you, I have a surprise waiting." He grinned. He turned the truck off, hopped out and opened her door for her before she had time to even ask him another question. He led her down a well worn path to an area close to the waters edge just as the sun had started to set.

"Sam, it's gorgeous!" She grinned.

He shrugged. "Yeah, well… you need some time to relax. It's nothing much…"

"It's awesome." She grinned. "Don't put yourself down just because it's not fancy. That's our ex's… I could care less about that… I told you already." She teased.

"Yeah… I know… I know…" He grinned, finally able to relax. "Come sit with me and relax."

She couldn't help but laugh. "If you insist."


	18. Chapter 17

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17

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You slip your finger through the tear in my t-shirt  
You're stirrin' up dirty in the back of my mind  
You keep on flirtin' cause you know that it's workin'  
You're stuck in my head girl writing the lines  
Couldn't sing this song without you if I tried  
Let's light it up like it's our last night

-Burnin' It Down- Jason Aldean

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Sam pulled Bella to his side, loving the feel of her body so close to his own. Now that the sun had finally set, he pulled a small battery operated lantern from the picnic basket he'd brought and turned it on in order to better see her. It was just enough light that they didn't have to strain their eyes.

"You're so amazing." He murmured.

Bella grinned and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "You're amazing too, you know." She whispered just as quiet. "This was so sweet." She told him, her hands waving over the blanket and basket of finger foods.

"We haven't had a lot of time to be alone lately. Work and school kill any time we do have." He mused.

She nodded in return. "Along with idiot ex's who do nothing more than annoy the hell out of us." She grinned when he rolled his eyes.

"He shouldn't be too much of a problem. Paul posted that video Jared shot of him… Dancing With Spiders is a catchy title… don't you think so?" He grinned.

She smiled and leaned towards him, capturing his lips with her own in a slow kiss. "I don't want to hear about him… or your brothers… or my friends… or revenge." She told him, pausing to kiss him in between sentences.

Sam stifled a groan and cradled her cheek in his hand before giving her a deep, emotion filled kiss. Her tongue danced out to meet his, still coated in the flavor of the chocolate covered strawberries he'd fed her for dessert. A smirk made its way onto his lips when she whimpered as he pulled away from the kiss. Bella shifted closer to him as he moved to rain lazy, seductive open mouthed kisses from her lips, along her jaw and finally to the sensitive skin of her neck.

"Sam!" She mewled as his hands roamed over her body.

Bella's quiet pleas, falling from those perfect lips with a quivering breath sounded like music to his ears. He offered her a groan in response and brought her hips flush to his own. He couldn't help the pleased chuckle when she gasped at the discovery of his near achingly hard dick straining against the fabric of his jeans.

"You're teasing me Sam." She said with a pout when he moved away.

He shook his head in denial. "Not at all baby girl. I'm showing you how much I want you." He grinned before attacking the skin of her neck with nips and kisses again.

She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth before pushing him to his back against the blanket. In the back of her mind, she mused that he let her man handle him. She knew there was no way she could man handle him like this on her own.

Sam pulled her over him, grinning when their lips met in a hungry lust filled kiss. His hands drug up and down her back before one traveled around to cup a breast through her shirt. His other hand took a path down to her waist and coerced her into grinding their hips together, giving them each some much needed friction to lessen the tension in their bodies.

"Sam!" She gasped and sat up, placing her hands on his chest while her hips continued to rock back and forth against his.

"What's wrong, baby girl?" He purred.

The desire in his eyes caused a pool of need to form in her belly. She wanted him and let it be known as she peeled her shirt off of herself leaving her in a sheer, lacey black bra. The feel of his work calloused hands on her smooth skin sent ripples of need through her.

"You're so fucking sexy…" He murmured huskily.

He patted her thighs, demanding she climb off of him for a minute without saying a word. With a grin, he rose to his knees and stripped his shirt from his body before moving to tug his jeans from his legs, leaving him in nothing but a pair of boxers. She took the hint and pulled her own jeans from her legs as well. He smirked when she bit her lower lip before crooking her finger at him as she fell backwards onto the soft blanket under them. His movements were slow and deliberate as he crawled over her, resting his weight over her body.

"Hi.." She grinned wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Hey baby." He grinned in return before stealing a kiss from her lips.

Bella gasped when she felt his fingers tug at one of her nipples through the bra she still wore. Her back arched as those same fingers moved lower down her body, teasing her with the barely there caresses. She moaned when those same fingers rubbed her near soaked folds over the fabric of the panties she still wore.

"Please…" She whined when the maddeningly slow pace hadn't changed after a few short minutes.

"Please what, baby. What do you want?" He whispered against the shell of her ear.

"Want you." She whined.

"Is that right?" He asked, amusement in his eyes as he watched her.

Bella keened and arched her back again, her nails digging into the skin of his shoulders. " Please Sam… please. Don't tease me. I need you."

Sam kissed a path down her body, stopping to pull her bra free from her chest, before continuing his explorations of her body. "You smell so good." He moaned, his nose skimming over her panty clad pussy. He bit her hip bone before peeling the lace from her body, trailing kisses as the offending material was pulled down her legs.

Bella writhed under him as he kissed his way back up to her lips, slipping his tongue inside of her mouth to tease and twirl with her own. "Sam…" She called out when their kiss broke so they could breathe.

Shivers raced down his spine. The way his name sounded falling from her lips, in that whisper of a voice…

"What's wrong Bella?" He purred before nibbling on her ear lobe.

Bella's head tilted to the side, offering him easier access to her neck. She whimpered when she felt Sam's hands moving down to her waist, committing every curve of her body to memory along the way. She lifted one of her legs, wrapping it around his waist and nearly keened when he started to thrust against her.

"Please… Sam… please.." She whimpered. "I want you so fucking bad."

His breath left him in a gust of wind. Hearing her curse… knowing she was usually so reserved had him harder than he'd been before he'd brought her home. "Fuck, baby girl…I want you too…" He moaned, grinding their hips together.

"Please… Sam…" She whined breaking the kiss.

"Hold on baby girl." He whispered. He moved to his jeans, pulled his wallet free and grabbed a condom from the bill fold. His breath caught when he turned to face her again.

"What's wrong, Sam?" She asked with a small smile dancing over her lips.

"Nothing. You're so sexy like that." He murmured huskily. He grinned when she blushed before opening the foil wrapper on the condom in his hand. He wasted little time after that, putting the condom on before he fell back over her to offer her a gentle kiss.

His eyes never left hers as he thrust into her waiting body. He couldn't help but groan; She was so tight. He knew he wouldn't be able to last too long- there was no way. They were both too overcome with lust to last. He made it as slow and sweet as they could both tolerate, proud of the fact that she crashed into bliss just ahead of him.

As they lay together panting, Bella couldn't help but grin. She had the perfect boyfriend. She couldn't help the happy grin that danced over her lips as her eyes closed. By the time their breathing had returned to normal, the breeze had picked up in strength. It reminded them that the nights cooled off by the water quicker now that it was mid October.

"You alright?" Sam asked her when he noticed the shiver racing down her spine.

She nodded. "Just a cold chill. I'm good."

He checked the time on his phone. "It's still early enough, we could still catch a movie if you wanted."

Bella giggled. "You mean you want to spend more time with little ol' me?" She teased.

His arms wrapped around her, hauling her to her feet. "Always." He grinned.

"Flatterer." She taunted.

Sam shrugged. "Just being honest." He told her.

"Come on, let's get dressed and we'll see about the movie on the way back." She said already rooting around for her clothes.

For a moment, all Sam did was watch her. He had no problem letting her know she was beautiful. He grinned when she blushed, the pink staining her cheeks for a few minutes as they hurried to dress. When they were presentable, Bella gathered the blanket in her arms and Sam packed away the garbage into the basket. With that done, they walked hand in hand back to his truck.

Bella sighed. She could get used to dates like the one he'd taken her on tonight. If only it had stayed warm. She shivered and slid closer to Sam once they were in the cab of the truck. Cold weather would just give her an excuse to stay close to him. Maybe the winter wouldn't be that bad after all.


End file.
